


I'd Do It All Again For You

by theartsaremypassion



Category: Degrassi the Next Generation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 21,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28139625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theartsaremypassion/pseuds/theartsaremypassion
Summary: J.T. Yorke and Liberty Van Zandt - the true definition of opposites attract. Their entire relationship can be seen as a true anomaly, with their love being the only thing at times keeping the other alive. Not to say their relationship was easy, but one thing was for sure: they'd do it all again for the other.
Relationships: Liberty Van Zandt/J.T. Yorke
Comments: 9
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Um, hi. So this is my first little drabble/fanfic thing on here so, yeah. I mainly started writing this for my own viewing but decided to post it because why not. This story is sort of canon but a lot of things happen that don't happen in the show. It's hard to explain without spoiling so just...trust me. Anyways, enjoy I guess. Sorry if it sucks. That's kind of bound to happen because I'm not taking it very seriously lol.
> 
> Edit: I added a new section of Liberty and J.T. cuteness so there's one extra chapter in the beginning (chapter 3) k bye

J.T. Yorke. 

Funny, crude, and unimaginably horny. 

Liberty Van Zandt. 

Smart, dignified, and kind of weird. 

No one really knew what exactly Liberty saw in him. Was it the below average grades? The over-confident looks? Or the famous stack of dimes? 

Whatever it was, she never let it go, much to J.T.’s disapproval. 

What everyone did understand, however, was J.T. slowly, but surely, falling for the same weird girl that just wouldn’t leave him alone – no matter the circumstance. 

“What are you doing here?” 

The question rang in the empty cafeteria as J.T. begrudgingly cleaned the tables, his hair net topping off his embarrassment of the situation. 

“I’m here to help you, since you obviously have no idea how to clean,” Liberty replies, grabbing a wash rag. 

“What? I’m cleaning perfectly fine,” J.T. defends, motioning to his still bubbly and wet work of art. 

Liberty then goes over the spot she was just previously shown and cleans it the correct way, her reflection being able to be seen in the table when she’s done with it. 

“Okay, miss show-off. That still doesn’t answer my question,” J.T. presses, relinquishing his table cleaning duty in favor of something more foolproof. 

“I find protest an honorable quality in a man.” 

“Huh?” 

Liberty looks up from the table, smirking as J.T. fails to understand what she is saying. “I think what you did today was great.” 

“You mean...punching that guy and starting a food fight?” J.T. is totally confused by the maze Liberty has just spun. 

“No, it was more of the fact you stood up to what you believed to be right – fighting that creep that tried to make a pass at Manny. That’s what was great,” Liberty smiles. 

“Oh, that...I couldn’t let that jerk be a horndog to Manny – that’s my job,” J.T. chides, earning him a scary glare from Liberty. 

“Sorry.” 

Liberty chuckles, continuing in her attempts to scrub the tables clean of all the food on the menu today. 

J.T. swears he didn’t, but to the average onlooker, he had totally felt warm feelings toward Liberty for the first time that day. Immediately, that warm feeling is quickly discarded for feigned disgust, his eyes darting from Liberty when she makes the slightest look his way. 

Liberty can’t be dissuaded, however. She knows she’s made her imprint on him and it only is a matter of time. 

It may surprise everyone else, but it doesn’t surprise her when she finds a nervous J.T. on her door step, a flower from unknown origins in his hand and a shy smirk on his face as his lips struggle to form the question he has been thinking about all weekend. 

“Will you go to the dance with me?” 

A small beat of silence falls between them, the chirping birds of the day being able to be heard. 

Liberty slowly smiles before blushing, J.T. awkwardly shifting his weight between his legs as he offers the flower to Liberty. 

“Baby’s Breath – how'd you know it was my favorite?” 

J.T. darts his eyes upward toward Liberty, confusion painting his easily malleable features. “I-I didn’t? I just found it in my grandma’s garden, so... I decided to give it to you.” 

Liberty chuckles and shakes her head. He still was J.T. Yorke after all – not much could change that fact, not that she’d want to, anyway. 

“S-So is that a yes or...” 

Liberty stares at him for a second, before landing a kiss on his sweaty lips, the kiss being amplified by the sunlight that began to shone overhead of them, the two lovers seemingly basking in the sunlight. 

J.T. is first to pull away, a cough escaping his parched throat. He readjusts his shirt before speaking again. “I’ll pick you up at 7?” 

“7 would be exceptional.” 

With that, J.T. waits until Liberty shuts the door before making his not-so-silent cheers of praise. He quickly stops in fear Liberty overhead his boyish squeals, but what he doesn’t know is Liberty is already peering out the window, looking at him trying to keep his composure before he skates down the street on his skateboard. 

She closes the blinds and dramatically puts her head against the wall, letting her knees give out a little to add to the dramatic effect. 

She closes her eyes and smiles to herself, one thing ringing true to her in this very moment. 

_I’m in love with J.T. Yorke._


	2. Chapter 2

The dance comes and goes, the decorations of that night still adorning the school halls as a reminder of sorts. 

J.T. and Liberty walk side by side down the halls, their hands intertwined with the other’s. They retire their normally brisk walk in favor of a slower tempo. It is the last day of summer after all. No need to rush. 

Their attention is sidetracked as they both run into Manny and Emma, the two girls having ice cream sundaes in their hands. J.T. salivates at the mouth, which earns Liberty to playfully smack him on the stomach for such bad manners. 

“Where did you two get the ice cream from?” Toby asks, appearing from around the corner. 

“Cafeteria. They’re handing them out until supplies go out. I’d hurry if I were you,” Manny says, dipping her spoon into the sundae. 

“Is it homemade or store bought?” J.T. asks, squeezing his free hand into a fist in anticipation of an answer. 

“Don’t worry, it’s store bought. No stomach bugs heading our way,” Emma laughs. 

“Score! Come on, Lib, we need to hurry,” J.T. says, pulling Liberty’s hand with urgency. 

“We? More like you,” Liberty says in feigned disgust. 

J.T. rolls his eyes before speed-walking to the cafeteria, with Liberty hot on his heels. 

The levels of anxiety for ice cream die down when J.T. gets what he wants, his humungous sundae enough to feed a small village. The amount doesn’t seem to entirely gross out Liberty as he promises to share, like the true sort-of-gentleman he is. 

Liberty takes a small scoop out from the untouched side, her mouth immediately savoring the sweet chocolate when it hits her taste buds. “Wow, this is really delicious.” 

J.T. moans in agreement, his mouth too full of ice cream to verbalize his answer. 

The two happily finish their shared ice cream, with J.T. eating the majority of it. Liberty is disgusted, yet impressed the small teen can hold so much inside him at once. Alas, she doesn’t question it and gladly takes his sticky hand as they tread the path home together. 

The only thing heard between them is the scuffle and clanking of their shoes on the pavement, Liberty’s kitten heels making a big commotion. J.T. decides to fill the peaceful silence with some humming, somehow not irritating Liberty in his song choice. 

J.T. stops his humming as he notices Liberty a little too wrapped up in thought, the face she makes a little unfamiliar and frightening to him. 

“Something up?” he asks, caressing her thumb with his. 

He doesn’t expect her to immediately speak up, but she does, her words once surprising J.T. 

“Do you remember what we discussed at the party?” 

“Do you mean about the cheese? Or the fight with Paige and Manny? Well, to be fair that is kind of a vague question considering we did less talking and more kissing,” J.T. laughs. 

“No, the discussion we had after said kissing.” 

J.T. freezes up as he remembers what she’s talking about. He swears the entire world could hear just how fast his heart began to beat in that moment. 

“Y-You mean...the sex part?” 

Liberty nods, a slight blush creeping up on her cheeks. “Indeed. The coitus discussion. What I’m trying to say is, I think I’ll be...open...to the idea this summer.” 

J.T. whips his head in shock in Liberty’s direction, his throat immediately growing parched. 

“R-Really?” he croaks out. “Y-You know you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” 

“I know. I just...care about you a lot, J.T., and want to be able to show that in a less boring way. Cheese isn’t exactly as exciting,” Liberty chuckles, realizing the ridiculousness of their shared love of cheese. 

“Sure, but I’d never want to push you to do something you’re not comfortable doing. I’m perfectly fine doing what we’ve been doing.” 

“I’m serious, J.T. I’m open to do it,” Liberty says, declaring this more so to herself. 

J.T. slowly smiles and brings Liberty close to his side, slightly squeezing her. “Well, until that moment, what do you say we go make out some more?” 

“I wouldn’t be opposed to such a physical idea.” 

J.T. and Liberty cut their walking commute back home in record time, the two lovebirds electing to spend the rest of the first day of summer in the hot tub.


	3. Chapter 3

Their third date takes place in an old comic store, the night they go being a particularly slow one. It was obviously J.T.’s idea, with Liberty much more set on visiting a museum or a library. Alas, she is here with him, and she’s alright with that. 

J.T. looks like a kid on Christmas day, his eyes widening more and more as he thumbs through the rare comic. “This is a gold mine!” 

Liberty rolls her eyes, taking a sip from their double-strawed milkshake. In that moment, she notices just how happy he looks, his happiness making her feel giddy inside. 

She doesn’t expect for the kiss to happen. It just does. 

Her sticky lips roughly meet his shocked, slacked ones, his attention quickly averting from the comic to Liberty. The kiss is mainly playful, with hints of lust peaking up every once and a while from a now-horny J.T. He grabs Liberty by the waist and spins her around, the comic long forgotten about. She squeals as she still has the milkshake in hand, scared that its contents will go flying all over the rare comic collection. 

“J.T., stop!” she squeals, finally setting down the milkshake on a nearby table. 

“Never,” he replies, his now equally as sticky lips peppering sloppy kisses all over Liberty’s face. 

Liberty giggles, his lips tickling her. 

She doesn’t expect for the three-word phrase to slip out of her as J.T. stops his silly ministrations, but it just... does. 

“I love you,” she says, trying to catch her breath. 

Her heart immediately drops as J.T. looks taken aback, the phrase taking him by surprise. However, he slowly smiles, his cheeks showing the faintest bit of candy apple red in them. 

“I love you, too.” 

With that, J.T. leans in to kiss Liberty once more, this time the kiss having ample more hints of lust in it. 

It is then, that they know in their hearts, that they are ready to show the other just how far their love goes for their lover. 

~~~ 

The atmosphere of tonight is much different from other nights. With J.T. having the whole apartment to himself, and his love for Liberty ready to explode out of his chest, he knows deep down he’s ready to do this, with Liberty already having indicated previously the same thing. 

J.T. feels his heart beat out of his chest as Liberty quaintly sits on his bed, her dress the perfect shade of pink to compliment her beautiful skin tone. 

He inwardly sighs, taken aback by her beauty. 

With candles lit and slow music playing in the back, J.T. takes his seat on the bed next to Liberty, the dim lighting making it harder to see just how beet red he had gotten. 

He is first to initiate the kiss, with Liberty shortly joining in on deepening it. Soon, she ends up on her back, J.T. hovering over top of her. His shaky hands first go one of the straps of Liberty’s dress, his eyes peeking through his shaggy hair for permission. Liberty slowly nods, allowing for J.T. to swiftly lower her dress strap. Soon enough, Liberty is left in only her undergarments. J.T. stops dead in his tracks to admire her beauty. 

“Wow,” he whispers, his eyes slowly roaming every inch of her body. 

Liberty blushes, instantly covering herself up from J.T.’s lustful gaze. 

“Don’t,” he says, removing her arms from over her chest. “You look beautiful.” 

“Sure, but it’s not fair that I’m the only that’s half-naked, here,” she says, motioning for J.T.’s shirt. 

J.T. quickly obeys the order and removes his shirt. He also awkwardly dances to get out of his pants, his butt soon meeting the floor as he trips over. 

“I-I’m fine,” he reassures, springing up from the floor. 

Liberty only giggles, not surprised at J.T.’s clumsiness. “I sure hope your clumsiness does not transfer to hurt me during our coitus session,” she jokes. 

“Oh, it won’t. Trust me.” 

The mood slowly shifts back to a romantic one, with both partners soon naked in front of one another. 

“Ready?” J.T. asks, his shaky hands gripping Liberty’s waist. 

“As I’ll ever be,” Liberty answers. Right before he begins, she removes one of his hands from around her waist and instead holds it, his touch the support she needs. 

Liberty gasps as J.T. slowly begins to push in, causing J.T. to abruptly stop in his tracks. 

“You need me to stop?” 

Liberty shakes her head, grabbing a fistful of the sheet beneath her. “Keep going. Discomfort is to be expected in new situations.” 

Although hesitant, J.T. does continue, albeit much slower than his initial pace. 

Soon, the pain and discomfort are traded for slight brushes in pleasure. Liberty pulls J.T.’s head down closer to her, just close enough for their lips to meet and begin a passionate exchange of energy. 

Some time passes, and the couple finishes, their resting position similar to the one of the present. 

“I love you, Liberty,” J.T. whispers, his breath dancing across Liberty’s ear. 

“I love you, too.” 

They soon fall asleep in each other’s embrace, their sweaty bodies clinging to each other for dear life. Neither regretted sharing their love so intimately to one another like this. In fact, they couldn’t wait to do it again.


	4. Chapter 4

No one, not even Liberty, expected this situation to unfold. She stared longingly at the pads in front of her, under the realization that she hasn’t needed one yet. It’s been weeks. 

She couldn’t believe this is happening to _her_ of all people. Nor could she, or anyone else for that matter, believe who she has inadvertently chosen to father her possible first child. 

She thought the king-sized condom would give J.T. a slight ego boost, his doubts about his size sometimes ruining the romantic mood the two had tried to set. Instead, it just boosted Liberty’s stupidity points and lowered her impeccable IQ, considering such a stupid move may have just landed her pregnant. To be fair, however, that time spent together was exceptional – but hindsight is 20/20 and Liberty is still unhappy with their decision. 

She has yet to tell J.T., in fear he’ll be unable to handle the truth. Furthermore, this possible pregnancy has made it apparent to Liberty all of J.T.’s numerous flaws, such as his inability to be mature and grow up to be a man. She now no longer could remember what exactly was the it she saw in him. Now, everything about him just made her inexplicably angry. 

J.T. also seems to catch on to the drift forming between them, however at a much more oblivious rate. All he knew was that Liberty had been quite upset lately, which in his book was never a good thing. The only time she had gotten mad prior to this was when J.T. had made a stupid joke to Toby about the amount of time they spent making out. After seeing the look on her face that day, he vowed never to make such a stupid mistake like that again. But alas, he has no idea what he did wrong this time. 

When J.T. sees Liberty slowly walking down the halls, seemingly lost in thought, J.T. knew it was one of his only chances at seeing just what exactly was going on. 

“Hey, Liberty! Wait up!” 

Liberty continues her steady walk, ignoring J.T.’s cry of her name. 

J.T. jogs to her, not wanting to expend more energy than he had to. 

“Liberty, what’s up? You’ve been ignoring me like the Brown death these past couple of days.” 

“It’s the _Black death_ , J.T.,” Liberty corrects, rolling her eyes. 

“Forget the death. Why are you ignoring me? Did I do something wrong?” 

Liberty bites her tongue to keep from exploding on J.T. right then and there. 

She takes a deep breath to regain composure before speaking again. “I’d rather speak about it in private.” 

“Uh oh. I messed up big time, didn’t I? Listen, if it’s about the driving lessons yesterday, I’m sorry for scaring you like that. It’s just you nearly hit a tree and killed us!” J.T. exclaims, widening his eyes. 

“It’s not about that.” 

“Then what is it about? You’re kind of scaring me, Liberty.” 

“Please. Stop. Talking.” Liberty scowls, stopping dead in her tracks. 

J.T. immediately takes the hint and shuts his mouth, his hands slightly shaking. 

“I said I will inform you later. End of discussion.” 

With that, Liberty walks to her first class of the day, her mood perpetually ruined.


	5. Chapter 5

Liberty eventually tells him the next morning as they make their daily commute to school, this time in J.T.’s car. She doesn’t expect for the news to come out as sudden as it does, but her emotions appear to have gotten the best of her in that moment. It also didn’t help the two were in the middle of a heavy argument seconds before. 

“I’m pregnant.” 

With the revelation of this news, J.T. subsequently crashes the car, his shock overtaking him. 

The outside world becomes silent as he exits the car and inspects the damage, his hand gripping his hair. 

“What are we gonna do?!” J.T. screams, quickly going by Liberty’s side. 

As always, Liberty handles the heavy-hitting questions and successfully throws the blame on a stray dog, averting any attention away from the real reason behind the crash. 

Ms. Hatzilakos escorts the two of them inside and away from the prying eyes of the student onlookers. Liberty still feels the judgmental gazes, though. It almost feels to her as if they know everything. 

The beginning of first period feels like a blur. They answer questions the police have, talk things over with the insurance company, and inform J.T.’s grandmother of the accident all within the span of thirty minutes. 

Immediately when the two have their minimal chance to be alone, J.T. starts his rapid fire of questions. 

“How long have you known? Are you sure you’re pregnant? Are you okay?” 

Liberty hesitates to answer, considering their group of friends are just mere chairs away and can possibly hear _everything_. 

“Months. Three,” she responds, in a code of sorts. 

J.T. grows antsy in his chair as he looks around, unable to believe the figure Liberty just told him. “Have you taken a test, at least?” 

Liberty glares back at J.T., growing increasingly annoyed with his questioning during class. “A woman just knows, J.T. There are a vast multitude of signs – such as frequent urination,” she prepares to stand up in her chair, motioning to Mr. Simpson “Mr. Simpson.” 

J.T. watches as Liberty walks away, his confusion and slight anger growing more and more as Liberty gets further and further away from him 

A couple people see this coming, but maybe not after this much time. For the first time, J.T. is starting to question his relationship with Liberty...and what all this means to him after all. 

~~~ 

“It’s positive.” 

J.T. takes a bated breath, his palms sweaty and his heart racing. He can’t believe it. He doesn’t want to believe it. 

He drags Liberty to her room and shuts the door, motioning for Liberty to take a seat on her full-sized bed. 

“Do you know what all this means, Liberty? I-I mean look at our options, here. We can’t possibly raise a baby right now. We just can’t.” J.T. paces back and forth, his hands interlocked behind his head. 

“And who are you to decide what we should do with this baby? How dare you even make that assumption for me!” Liberty yells, pain in her voice. 

“You know I don’t mean to take away your right to decide, Liberty. I’m just stating the very obvious here!” 

Liberty tries to take a deep breath, J.T.’s words only angering her more and more. 

“We should look into adoption, at the very least. It’d be good for us – good for our future careers and lives ahead of us.” 

“Listen, I don’t want to be pregnant. Every morning I wake up and I still am. We made a grown-up choice, J.T. Now, we have to make a grown-up decision and keep this baby.” 

J.T. groans, rolling his eyes. “Are you even listening to yourself right now? Adoption is a grown-up decision. We messed up; I know. _I_ messed up. But the bigger decision here, in my opinion, if I’m even allowed to have one of those, is that this baby deserves a good home, something we can’t provide right now. Besides, we have no emotional attachment to it right now, anyway.” 

Liberty swears she sees red at that moment. She slowly stands, her angry breath inches away from J.T.’s now pale-white face. “ _We_ don’t have an emotional attachment to _it_ right now? Are you kidding me, J.T.?!” 

J.T. puts his hands up in defeat, realizing the mistake was crucial. “L-Listen I didn’t mean to sound so insensitive, b-but everything else is true!” 

“Get. Out.” 

J.T. exits the Van Zandt residence in record time, his feet moving faster than when Mr. Van Zandt nearly caught the two lovebirds alone in the house together. 

After J.T. is long gone, Liberty sits on her bed and tries to process the feelings she’s experiencing. She already felt a connection to the thing growing inside her, yet she knew J.T. was right. He was right about everything. She hated he was right. All of these things cause Liberty’s brain to short, allowing her unemotional exterior to fall and her emotions to erupt from within. She cries – harder than she’s ever cried before. 

For the first time ever, she doesn’t know what to do.


	6. Chapter 6

Toby is the first to notice the obvious drift between the two, granted that his best friend is sitting outside eating his measly lunch alone for the first time in months. Toby’s usually used to Liberty sitting by his side as he approaches the table, but this time it’s vastly different. Even the air surrounding their coveted lunchtime spot is strange. 

“You alright, man? I see your lucky lady isn’t sitting with you, today,” Toby starts, setting his tray down. 

“Oh, gee, I didn’t notice,” J.T. retorts, aggressively messing over his food. 

“What happened between you two this time? You usually resolve whatever petty argument you have before lunch.” 

J.T. stays silent, visibly tense and unwilling to respond. 

Toby takes the hint, noting the silence as an answer to his question. “Okay, no Liberty it is, today.” 

Silence falls between the two, the unusual atmosphere of it all messing with Toby’s head. “Okay, what gives, man? Why are you so quiet?” 

J.T. continues to stare down at his tray. “What? A man can’t eat his lunch in peace?” 

“No, the problem is you _never_ shut up. Now, I can’t even get you to speak a word.” 

J.T. shrugs his shoulders, still unwilling to let up. 

“Well, since you’re unwilling to talk, I’ll ask all the questions. You still auditioning for morning news?” 

“I don’t know. Not really in the mood anymore.” 

“Aw come on, J.T. Being on TV has been your dream ever since we met, you can’t pass this up,” Toby says, his lunch tray now abandoned, his concern taking away his appetite. 

“Liberty doesn’t want me to do it and, frankly, I’m tired of getting burnt,” J.T. responds, evident sadness in his voice. 

“Who cares? Last time I checked, Liberty doesn’t own you or anything. Besides, high school relationships are always pretty turbulent –maybe it’s just one of those moments.” 

J.T. sighs. “Oh, it’s turbulent, alright.” 

Toby groans, having had enough of the pity story. “Look, J.T. You gotta be the man. She’s not God, you know. She can’t dictate what you can and can’t do. Besides, it’s not like you’re eternally linked or anything.” 

Toby chuckles, hearing himself say that cheesy statement makes him laugh out of ridiculousness. J.T., however, doesn’t even crack a smile. In fact, his face grows ghastly white. Toby’s smile falls as he realizes something terrible is indeed up. 

His suspicions are soon confirmed. 

“Tobes? Liberty’s pregnant.” 

Toby freezes, not expecting for his suspicions to be so accurate. He tries to fix his mouth to say something – anything – but can’t. He doesn’t know what to say. 

“W-Well there’s counseling... a-and there’s plenty of adults to talk to,” Toby offers, his efforts of trying to be supportive not going unnoticed. 

J.T. slowly nods, already knowing this information himself. “None of that matters if Liberty won’t even look my way.” 

“What is she particularly mad about, anyway?” 

“Lots of things, my dear friend. Lots of things,” J.T. sighs, the thought of their current rift giving him a major headache. 

Toby nods, not wanting to press J.T. any harder. He finally allows a not-so-uncomfortable silence to fall between them, satisfied in knowing what was going on with his dear friend. 

He breaks that silence soon after, wanting J.T. to know one thing, first. 

“You know I’ll support you through this, right? Whatever you need, I’m your man.” 

J.T. smiles for the first time all day, an actual genuine smile plastered across his face. “Thanks, Tobes. It means a lot.” 

J.T. needed all the support he could get. He, along with everyone else, realized he was in way over his head – and there was no easy way out.


	7. Chapter 7

Two long days come and go before Liberty even thinks of talking to J.T., let alone looking at him. She doesn’t have much of a choice but to speak to him, as not speaking to him is only letting this situation go on unresolved even longer, which is something that ate her up inside. 

“I’m sorry,” J.T. starts, his eyes darting between Liberty and the road ahead, “What I said was insensitive and that was wrong of me.” 

Liberty stays silent as she looks out of the window, J.T.’s apology only faintly being registered by her foggy mind. It’s not that she wants to continue staying at odds with J.T., but she’s just so lost... about everything. She also feels that J.T. is nowhere near her standard of maturity, and would rather the child grow up only around herself than his or her father’s stupidity. She knew deep down she wished to keep the child, but she also logically knew neither her nor J.T. could possibly afford it, but she didn’t want to admit her heart was wrong. 

“So, I propose a truce – for the baby’s sake. We have to be on a united front no matter what we decide to do.” 

“I agree,” Liberty speaks, that being the first time J.T. had heard her talk to him directly in the past couple of days. 

“Well, that’s a start,” J.T. smiles, choosing to stay optimistic about the situation. 

Liberty keeps her mouth in a tight line, not feeling as sunny about all of this. In fact, she never knew if she could make peace with the thought of adoption, but that was the only option besides keeping it she was willing to go through with. She could barely even mutter the word “abortion” under her breath without feeling faint. 

A peaceful silence falls between them as J.T. continues the journey to his residence, the afternoon sun nearly blinding Liberty before she adjusts the visor. Surprisingly, she’s the first one to break the silence. 

“I missed you.” 

J.T. nearly gets whiplash by how quickly he looks to the passenger’s seat. Never, has heard Liberty be so upfront and blunt about her feelings. She usually said how she felt through coded context, but this time was different. It was simplistic and easy for J.T.’s pea brain to understand, a win-win in his book. 

“I missed you, too.” 

They arrive at J.T.’s residence shortly after, J.T. trying to really get in with Liberty’s good graces by opening her door to let her out of the car. 

“What a gentleman.” Liberty allows this type of chivalry to take place, when under normal circumstances she would hate being treated as lesser than. The smile soon falls from her face as she slightly grabs her stomach, her face looking a bit paler than normal. 

Liberty makes a beeline to J.T.’s bathroom as soon as he opens the door, her swiftness leaving J.T. stunned. 

He soon understands as he hears the retching echo through the walls and cringes – who knew morning sickness could be all day sickness. He continues with the gentleman act by grabbing a water bottle from the fridge and silently standing by the doorway, waiting for Liberty to finish puking her guts out. 

He gets the cue that she has finished when he hears the toilet flush and the sink water begin to run. He extends his arm a little as he patiently waits for Liberty to finish washing her hands. 

He perks up from a slightly relaxed position as he hears the lock click and the door creak open. 

“Thanks.” Liberty accepts the water bottle from J.T.’s grasp and leads the two to his cozy bedroom. 

“You feel sick all day?” J.T. asks, shutting the door behind them. 

“Sometimes, unfortunately. It usually only persists in the morning, though.” 

The bed moves as J.T. sits beside her on his bed, his hand naturally finding its way over hers. 

“Sorry. I’m not really in the mood for such activity today,” Liberty says, misreading his intentions. 

“No, no. I-I just wanted to sit here with you, that’s all. No funny business.” 

Liberty smiles, lying on her back to make herself comfortable. J.T. follows suit and readjusts himself to be beside her, one arm coming around to touch her ever-so-slightly protruding belly while the other rests underneath her head. Liberty happily sighs, slightly backing up into J.T. to make the space in between them almost non-existent. 

It is all very reminiscent of the first time they made love. Nervous laughter, passionate kisses, and intimate skin-to-skin contact. Although there was some slight discomfort, it was still a very enjoyable experience for Liberty, J.T.’s sweet and cautious demeanor making up for all the tenderness she was experiencing in the moment. 

_Liberty gasps as J.T. slowly begins to push in, causing J.T. to abruptly stop in his tracks._

_“You need me to stop?”_

_Liberty shakes her head, grabbing a fistful of the sheet beneath her. “Keep going. Discomfort is to be expected in new situations.”_

_Although hesitant, J.T. does continue, albeit much slower than his initial pace._

_Soon, the pain and discomfort are traded for slight brushes in pleasure. Liberty pulls J.T.’s head down closer to her, just close enough for their lips to meet and begin a passionate exchange of energy._

_Some time passes, and the couple finishes, their resting position similar to the one of the present._

_“I love you, Liberty,” J.T. whispers, his breath dancing across Liberty’s ear._

_“I love you, too.”_

The low hum of the air conditioner fills the otherwise silent atmosphere of the room. Liberty breathes deeply to keep herself from falling into a peaceful sleep, knowing that she needed to go sooner rather than later. She was never one to intentionally disobey her parent’s rules, but ever since she started going out with J.T., she found it difficult to easily adhere to the rules of curfew. She wanted to spend every waking moment with her boyfriend, and not be stuck at home fulfilling the expectations of being the ‘golden child’. But alas, she always did what was asked of her, as sad as it made her feel. 

_How did I get here?_

It is a question Liberty frequently asked herself regarding her new situation. This is not what a straight-A, on the road to being valedictorian, girl would do. It just isn’t. Yet...here she is. Mistakes and all, a true anomaly from the rest. 

“We need to talk about it.” 

J.T. snaps Liberty out of her train of thought, his voice disrupting the silent atmosphere. 

“Talk about what?” Liberty genuinely has no idea what he’s on about this time. 

“Our game plan about all of this.” 

“I’ve already got it under control,” Liberty responds, hints of bitterness escaping from her words. 

“Well could I be let in on this said game plan?” 

Liberty stays silent, not wanting to start another argument. She then raises from her previously horizontal position to rest her back on J.T.’s headboard, not really in the mood to cuddle any longer. 

“Liberty, please. I’m not trying to argue with you. I just want to know what you’ve been planning about for these past three months.” J.T. also readjusts himself to be sitting upright, his gaze fixed across the room and away from Liberty. 

“Don’t worry about it. Your assistance isn’t needed right now, anyway.” 

J.T. stares at Liberty in disbelief. To him, it seemed like she really was trying to exclude him from all of this, and for what reason? He was the father and understood the responsibility that came with that. So, why was Liberty still treating him like a kid? 

“We’ll finish this discussion sometime later. I need to get going.” Liberty stands from the bed and collects her things, immediately heading for J.T.’s bedroom door without even thinking of saying goodbye. 

J.T. doesn’t beg for a goodbye though, too angry to even care at that point. He allows for the bedroom door to shut behind her, with the front door following suit shortly after. When he knows for sure she has vacated the premises, he angrily throws a magazine against his door. He’s pissed – and decides for the first time he doesn’t care what Liberty thinks of his actions. Toby was right – she’s not his authoritarian figure. He can do whatever he pleases. 

Liberty may not have seen it coming, but to everyone else, it was evident that it was the beginning of the end.


	8. Chapter 8

Liberty is shocked to see J.T. in the media immersion room so early the next morning. In fact, she’s never seen J.T. this early, period. 

She watches as J.T. takes his spot in front of the camera, his whole demeanor changing as Toby begins the countdown. 

Liberty takes a deep breath as the camera begins rolling, more so to keep herself from exploding on J.T. for going against her word. 

“Good morning, uh, everyone,” he starts off, his nerves increasing once he makes eye contact with Liberty. “I, J.T. Yorke, will be starting off your day with some morning announcements.” 

“I can’t watch this,” Liberty mutters, getting up from her seat and exiting the room. 

She even goes as far as to face away from the monitor outside, not wanting to experience any part of this. A million thoughts run through her mind as the time passes. However, they are all suddenly interrupted when a familiar bout of nausea wrecks her body and causes her to go flying to the restroom. 

She luckily makes it just in time to dispose of the little breakfast she’d had that morning. This time, she wasn’t sure if it was morning sickness, nerves, or a combination of both. Whatever the reason, she was sick of feeling this way every morning day in and day out. 

After she flushes the toilet, she opens the stall door to find her on-again, off-again friend Emma Nelson standing in front of her, a look of concern on her face. 

“Something’s wrong.” 

Liberty rolls her eyes as Emma begins to pursue her case. “Nothing’s wrong, Emma. Just some nerves.” 

“No, but you’ve been acting kind of weird lately,” Emma says, following Liberty to the sinks. “Something up?” 

Liberty chuckles in disbelief. “Why would I confide such information in you?” 

“Okay, okay. I know we haven’t been on the best of terms lately, but as a concerned human being something is wrong with you and that doesn’t sit right with me.” 

Liberty turns off the tap as she tries to think of a way to get Emma off of her already complicated case. “Look, I don’t feel comfortable talking about private matters, much less in a public restroom. So, how about you go and bother someone else.” 

With that, Liberty walks out, leaving Emma speechless. 

On her way down the hall, she runs into J.T., her anger from a couple minutes ago reigniting all over again. 

“Don’t,” Liberty starts, trying to go around him. 

J.T. uses his body to block her path, their game of dancing around each other continuing for a short while. “Try again.” 

Liberty huffs as she realizes she’s trapped and has no other choice but to talk to him. “What?” 

“I don’t know what your deal is, but stop trying to control me. I’m allowed to have my own happiness,” J.T. says, the desperation evident in his voice. 

“That’s great, but are you sure this is a viable career path for you? I mean, it’s not just about you or I anymore.” 

“What? You won’t even talk to me about it. How do you expect me to read your mind?” J.T. scoffs. 

Liberty sternly pulls him aside to quiet, untouched corner of the hallway. “Look, you obviously aren’t being very helpful in trying to actually get things done the way they need to be done, so how about you leave all of the heavy lifting to me, just like normal.” 

J.T. can only stand there with his mouth agape as he tries to register the words Liberty is spewing at him. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re the main one that won’t grow up and talk about it. Does that sound like parent material to you?” 

“I will continue to not talk about it as long as you go around and do everything I tell you not to do. You don’t listen, J.T. I told you not to do the video announcements and you still did it anyway. You need to be focused on getting your grades up to and becoming a functioning member of society!” Liberty yells, poking J.T. in the chest. 

“You know, what? I have an even better idea. How about I break up with you and do what I want to do? Since, obviously, this isn’t working out anymore.” 

Liberty is stunned, the impact of J.T.’s words not yet hitting her until he’s already halfway down the other side of the hallway. 

She can’t believe it, this fact being much harder to process than the unintentional pregnancy. 

_I just lost J.T. Yorke._


	9. Chapter 9

Weeks pass and neither ex-lover is speaking to one another. J.T. has officially cut Liberty out of all facets in his life, using Toby as his messenger to receive updates about the baby. He seems...happy...and satisfied to be away from Liberty’s controlling grasp. Meanwhile, Liberty is doing more or less the same...on the outside. On the inside, she is a complete and utter wreck, every part of her being crying out to be reunited with the only boy she has ever truly loved. 

She eats only because she has to. She sleeps only because she has to. She _breathes_ only because she has to. She realizes it is no longer about her, but instead it is all about the miracle creation her and J.T.’s once indisputable love had created together, the tiny being the reason she even wakes up in the morning. It is also apparent to her, however, J.T. wants to give up their perfectly healthy creation to others he deems as more “worthy” of being a parent. Nonsense. The two of them could do it...all on their own. Screw the societal norms. They could do it. They’d be just fine – the three of them, living in a nice apartment overlooking downtown Toronto. They could do it, if only she were able to work out the logistics of it all faster. 

Danny starts to catch on eventually that something has gone amiss in his teenage wiz sister’s life, and more importantly – something was up with his best friend J.T. 

“You sure everything’s good with the parasite and you?” 

Danny had somehow convinced J.T. to go for lunch that day, the autumn air starting to make lunch outside less appealing. 

“Ah, just teenagers being teenagers, my friend –something you wouldn’t know.” 

J.T. had also left out the most important detail that he and Liberty were no longer, their teenage romance crashing in flames. 

Danny starts to put the pieces together one day when he goes into his sister’s room without permission, looking to see if she had taken the last of the Cheetos. He notices that Liberty has many protein bar wrappers lying around, with many other junk food wrappers adorning the floor. 

“Man, she sure has been eating a storm up in here,” he mumbles, trying to wade through the sea of Kit-Kat wrappers. 

Finally, he sees the Cheetos bag resting on top of her dresser. 

“Success.” 

He takes the Cheetos and immediately opens them, scarfing a few in his mouth. He then notices an inconspicuous book lying where the Cheetos once were. His curiosity gets the best of him and he ends up quickly thumbing through the book. He is shocked to find a bunch of stats written about on the page. 

“Cravings? Weight gain? Something’s weird here.” 

The magical word then pops up right in front of his eyes, his finger running across the word to make sure his sister really wrote such a thing. 

_14 weeks pregnant._

The only thing to be heard for the next several moments is Danny’s attempts to clear his throat of the Cheeto that had become lodged due to utter and complete shock. 

His shock is amplified when the door swings open to reveal the resident of the room – Liberty. 

Her eyes widen when she realizes that he’s holding her book of secrets. 

“Drop it,” Liberty growls, her fists bawled. 

Liberty’s threat doesn’t quite register with Danny, her half-confirmation leaving him appalled. 

Before he can even think, Liberty lunges toward him, knocking the book out from his grasp. “How dare you go through my things?!” 

Danny still doesn’t respond. His silence deeply disturbs Liberty. She then lowers her menacing demeanor when she realizes the amount of shock Danny is under, her concern now that he may have shocked himself to death, possibly. 

“Danny, whatever you saw,” she whispers, her hands resting on either side of his shoulder, “it is imperative you do not tell mother and father. I know what it looks like, but I promise I’ve got this under control. I just need time.” 

Silence. 

“Please, Daniel. Please, I beg of you,” Liberty cries, a stray tear rolling down her cheek. 

It equally shocks Liberty and Danny both when Danny slowly begins to pat Liberty’s shoulder, his gesture being his response. 

“This doesn’t mean I’m okay with this.” 

Danny hands Liberty the bag of Cheetos on his way out of her room. “You need these more than I do.” 

The next day is when hell truly breaks loose, J.T.’s presence driving Danny to violence. 

He sees J.T. jesting with friends when a wave of rage comes over him. 

_How could he be so nonchalant about all of this? My sister is struggling and he has the nerve to laugh? What a dick._

Growling, Danny walks over to J.T., his fists bawled and his mouth in a rigid line. 

“Hey, Yorke.” 

J.T. looks up to find one of his closest friends walking toward him, but oddly angry. 

“Oh. Hey, Danny. What can I do for you?” 

Danny licks his lips. “For starters, you can die.” 

“Huh?” 

Instead of responding with words, Danny responds with his fists, the first punch connecting with J.T.’s cheek. 

J.T. crumbles to the ground, holding his cheek in pain. “What’s your problem?!” 

Danny still declines to respond, this time kicking J.T. while he’s still down. 

J.T.’s friends have all scurried away and left the two of them surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, J.T. in pain with no one to bail him out. 

Before he can catch his breath, Danny delivers a succession of punches all over J.T.’s face, blood starting to paint his knuckles. By now, the students around them have all started to cheer and rave at the sight before them, the violence the closest they’ve gotten to entertainment all day. 

Somehow, J.T. regains his strength and gets back on his feet, throwing a punch or two in Danny’s direction. He’s not quite sure if they connect, but his anger isn’t too concerned about that at the moment. He then throws another punch, this time it connects to Danny’s temple, causing the other boy to stumble backward a bit. 

With this vulnerability, J.T. is able to land a few more punches, leveraging Danny off of his back. 

The two boys are stopped, however, when Liberty comes on the scene. She immediately goes in, not caring if a punch is thrown her way. 

“Stop! Stop it!” 

They immediately stop when they both realize Liberty is in the line of fire, both boys understanding the repercussions of hitting Liberty, let alone a female at all. 

Liberty drags them both outside and away from the searing eyes of fellow students and faculty, alike. She roughly motions for them to have a seat on the table, her arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. 

“Anyone care to explain themselves first before I go off?” 

“Hm, I don’t know, why don’t you tell your happy hands brother to start us off,” J.T. retorts, glaring at Danny. 

“No, I think mister can’t-keep-the-stack-of-dimes-in-his-pants should start us off instead, don’t you think?” 

“Enough!” Liberty yells, trying to keep the peace. “Danny, tell me calmly what made all of this transpire.” 

Danny scoffs. “As if you don’t already know? Don’t try to act all innocent, Liberty. You let this idiot get you pregnant!” His snarky reply earns him an evil glare from Liberty. 

Meanwhile, it all clicks for J.T. in that moment about Danny’s insurmountable rage. He knows. He knows everything. 

“And to think you’re still dating this loser!” 

Well... _almost_ everything. 

“Daniel, our business does not concern you.” 

“Uh, yeah, it does. When mom and dad find out, they’ll murder me for not telling them I knew,” Danny says, wincing when he accidentally brushes his temple. 

“Which they won’t until I say so, correct?” 

Danny says nothing, looking toward the ground. 

“Danny, please. This is already stressful enough. I don’t need mom and dad finding out until I have all of this figured out.” 

“You, you, you. Why can’t I be involved? I even got a job to support us, Liberty. Why can’t you see I’m trying to help you? Why do you treat me like the enemy?” 

“Enough, J.T! We’ll talk about that matter later. Right now, I’m more concerned about you two fighting,” Liberty says, trying to steer the topic back on track. 

“Because she’s a mad control freak,” Danny chimes in, grinning. 

Liberty cuts her eyes at Danny once again, her menacing look having less and less of an effect on him. 

“You know what? I don’t care what Mom and Dad say - I want no part in this,” Danny says, rising from the picnic table, throwing his hands up. 

“Danny--”. 

He refuses to talk. He’s out of the scene and back to class in five minutes. 

Although many things didn’t make sense, one thing seems to be the truth. 

J.T. Yorke is a major idiot – and his idiot-itis has run off on Liberty, too.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trying to not upload the rest of this in one night lol... might do one more chapter though who knows

“I’ve been thinking and you’re right. Adoption is the best choice for us and the baby.” 

The statement doesn’t fall on deaf ears. J.T. is just shocked to hear Liberty admit that _he’s_ right for once. Although it had taken many, many days for them to be on speaking terms again, they both decided to come together once again to talk about the baby civilly and on a united front. 

“Hm. I could get used to hearing I’m right.” 

Liberty glares at him. “Don’t push it.” 

“Right... so should we go talk to an adoption counselor soon? I mean you’re already approaching close to five months now,” J.T. says, taking a sip from the coffee in front of him. Working at the pharmacy had been taxing for him, but now seeing as he might not have to sounded like music to his ears. 

“I guess. It’s just... hard, is all. I can’t believe I’m, we’re, giving up a completely healthy baby. I-I mean, what will he or she think about us? That we’re terrible people?” 

“They’ll think that we made a difficult decision for the benefit of them. That’s what they’ll think.” J.T. caresses Liberty’s hand. The act is the closest form of intimacy either party has experienced since the breakup. 

“I hope so. I just selfishly don’t want to do it, but I know I have to. I mean neither of our parents would be willing to help out, probably.” 

“I know. I know it’s hard, but you’re making the right decision. Trust me.” 

Liberty slowly nods, trying to convince herself that everything was truly going to be alright. “We’ll go to the agency tomorrow. Less time to dwell on it.” 

J.T. looks down at his watch and alerts Liberty, the time before their next class quickly approaching. “Come on, we should get going.” 

When Liberty goes to stand up, she feels an unfamiliar pain in her abdomen, the pain radiating much lower than a stomach ache, and instead feeling like a period cramp. She visibly winces, causing J.T. to immediately be by her side. 

“You alright?” 

Liberty nods, shrugging it off. “Yeah, just a bad stomach ache. Nothing ginger candies can’t fix.” Liberty pulls one out and begins to suck on it, hoping the pain would soon subside. 

“You should probably go to the doctor soon. You’ve yet to have an apartment and you’re halfway done,” J.T. says, readjusting his bookbag on his back. 

“I know. The adoption agency will probably make me have a general checkup, anyways.” 

“Even if they don’t, you need to. It can’t possibly good to go on this long without...whatever pregnant women need.” 

Liberty chuckles. J.T. Yorke was still J.T. Yorke, even after all this time. 

“Oh, also - I have some _great_ news for you when you get out of class,” J.T. exclaims, waiting outside of Liberty’s classroom door. 

“Oh, yeah? Why can’t you tell me now?” 

“Because I’d rather save this discussion for later,” J.T. jokes, putting on his best Liberty impersonation. 

Liberty’s not pleased, but she lets the joke slide, the discomfort in her belly growing more than she’d like it to. 

The class soon ends and Liberty’s off to Media Immersion, this being a class she shares with J.T. 

She takes her seat and immediately scoots her chair closer to J.T., dying to know what news he had for her. 

Before she can fix her mouth to speak, Mr. Simpson clears his throat, signaling that he is ready to start class. 

She rolls her chair back to her desk in disappointment, the big news just having to wait. 

“Alright, class. Today’s lesson will actually be indirectly led by one of our very own – Mr. J.T. Yorke!” Mr. Simpson exclaims, turning on the television. 

Liberty is shocked, yet pleasantly delighted by the imagery on the screen. J.T. is dressed as a turkey and is helping two girls construct a Thanksgiving activity, their get up matching J.T.’s ridiculous one. 

“That is _so_ cute,” Manny swoons, looking in J.T.’s direction along with Emma. 

“She’s right,” Liberty agrees, rolling her chair toward J.T. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? You’ve always wanted to be on T.V. and now here you are.” 

J.T. blushes, the spotlight from his fellow peers all too much for him. 

“Reasons -- that we’ll talk about in private,” J.T. murmurs, hiding his red face from obvious view. 

Liberty looks down, feeling a pang of guilt for being most of the negative “reasons”. 

In that moment, she realizes she was wrong to try and mold J.T. into someone he wasn’t, but most importantly for not allowing him to pursue his happiness. Although she wasn’t happy (not in the least bit), she knew it was only fair to allow J.T. to chase his own form of happiness – whatever that may be. 

In the meantime, she is determined to find her own happiness.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did it...

The pain in Liberty’s lower abdomen reoccurs several times throughout their meeting with the adoption agency, but she ignores it, the situation in front of her paining her much more. Before she can even breathe or speak her grievances, they have a list of potential suitors to choose from, along with a set doctor’s appointment for later that afternoon. 

“Call us if you have any hesitations.” 

That statement rings in Liberty’s mind as they prep her for her ultrasound. Of course, she has hesitations, but this was her only option. She’s backed into a corner and has no choice but to do this, no matter how much it hurts. 

“Are you ready to proceed, Ms. Van Zandt?” the technician asks, applying the cold gel to Liberty’s abdomen. 

Liberty nods, the cold gel taking her by surprise and leaving her unable to speak coherently. 

She processes the weird feeling of the wand pressing against her protruding belly, the pressure making her slightly uncomfortable. She grips J.T.’s hand tighter as the technician presses into her harder. 

Liberty doesn’t dare look at the technician or the screen to know what’s going on. The less attached she is, the better. She instead urges J.T. to look for her, his eyes being in much better shape than hers. 

“J.T., please.” 

J.T. breathes before peering to look over at the screen, Liberty gently squeezing his hand for support. He’s left in awe by what he sees. Tiny features abound the screen. Although mostly impossible to determine what is what, J.T. knows one thing is for certain. It’s a baby. 

“It looks... real.” 

Liberty swears she hears her heart breaking. 

The ultrasound soon wraps up, with the technician expressing concern in the pain Liberty has been experiencing. She urges them to go to the emergency room if it occurs again, the outcome being possibly deadly if they don’t. 

Liberty sighs as she takes a seat on the couch in the hallway of the office, all of this information a little much for one day. J.T. soon takes a seat beside her, slowly rubbing her back to help relieve some of the stress. 

“All of this stress isn’t good for the baby. Relax,” J.T. orders, rubbing her back. 

“I’m trying, I really am, but work is the only way I can be distracted enough not to wonder about...” 

“I know... I know.” 

Although they are totally, no way, back together, Liberty leans into J.T.’s shoulder for comfort, the heart ache of giving their perfectly healthy baby up getting to her. 

Liberty’s unsure how much time passes, but all she knows is that her head on J.T. feels right. She also knows that she’s still in love with J.T., despite everything that’s happened. No matter what, the comedic boy with a heart of gold will always have a piece of her heart. And now, their beautiful creation will have its own place in the universe, a place that unfortunately doesn’t involve either of its birth parents, but a place nonetheless. 

J.T. rubs her back slowly, giving a couple reassuring squeezes here and there. “I wish things were different. I’d totally be okay with keeping him or her if we realistically could do so. I know how badly you want this.” 

Liberty stays silent, unsure of what to say. She is grateful, however, J.T. was still by her side, even after all of this time. He’s the only thing that makes all of this hurt a little less. 

The ride to drop Liberty off is mostly silent, with occasional small talk filling the gaps of nothingness. Liberty doesn’t mind, though. She’s too busy looking at the ultrasound picture, fascinated with the little being growing inside of her. She somehow is able to identify all ten of his or hers fingers and toes, and even his or her little nose. 

“They have your nose,” Liberty states, smiling. 

“Really? How can you tell?” 

“Mother’s intuition.” 

When Liberty goes to bed that night, she makes sure to place the tiny ultrasound picture underneath her pillow, not only to hide it but also to keep it near and dear to her. 

Sleep doesn’t find her until peace comes her way, a different way of thinking of the situation coming to her in the form of a faint voice. 

_You’re doing the right thing._


	12. Chapter 12

Liberty's sixth month of pregnancy arrives all too quickly, her growing bump becoming a challenge to hide from her parents. She still couldn’t find the courage to tell them, despite her own body ratting her out every single day. 

Her and J.T. have yet to settle on a couple to take their child, with Liberty’s expectations far too high for the average candidate to be suitable. 

J.T. didn’t quite understand why she had such rigid conditions, yet he also knows it is all in the name of love. He, too, wishes deep down they could just keep the child, but he also knew if they couldn’t even tell their parents the news than what good does that do. 

The news of Liberty’s pregnancy arrives to her parents through unconventional means – her Mom’s loud-mouth friend that happens to work at the same adoption agency they’ve been in close contact with. 

“Say what?” 

Mrs. Van Zandt blinked twice to make sure the words she is hearing is indeed factual. 

“Yeah, girl. I’ve seen Liberty and some boy around here quite a bit. Something tells me it’s not some school project, either.” 

Mrs. Van Zandt and the floor become close companions for five minutes, the shock making her knees crumble to the ground and her consciousness slip away. 

Word travels quickly as Mr. Van Zandt gets word his wife has been hospitalized for a collapse, which sends him immediately to be by her side. 

When he hears the reasoning behind the collapse from his now-conscious wife, he laughs. 

“You’re kidding.” 

“Harold, I’m serious. I mean it explains everything. The baggy clothes, the missing snacks, the mood swings. It’s not just stress, it’s a _baby_.” 

Mr. Van Zandt nearly repeats history, but his tears of sadness keep him in the moment, his loud wails penetrating throughout the corridor. 

Liberty knows something is up when she finds both of her parents waiting for her at the dinner table, no food in sight. It’s late. She’s had a full day of academic commitments, and yet they waited up for her. Something was definitely not right. 

“Why’d you guys wait up for me? I told you both I’d be at school until at least six, today,” Liberty says, setting her bag on the floor and taking a seat, her back killing her. 

The tension is thick, both of her parents not even looking at their daughter, but instead at their interlocked hands on the dinner table. 

“Are you pregnant?” 

Liberty nearly jumps out of her skin as her mother’s question rings around the dining room. 

“Yes or no, Liberty. It’s a yes or no question,” her father presses, suppressing the anger from within. 

Liberty licks her lips, the words getting caught in her throat. “I...” 

Her father breaks the scary silence in the room by slamming his free fist down on the glass table, nearly causing shards of glass to fly everywhere. “Stop lying to us! We demand you tell us the truth right now!” 

Liberty feels her eyes welling with tears and her throat starting to burn, the taste of salt permeating in her mouth. “I’m sorry... I’m so sorry.” 

“That’s not an answer!” Mr. Van Zandt yells, not accepting the indirect confirmation. 

“Y-Yes... it’s true,” Liberty sobs, burying her face into her hands. 

Mrs. Van Zandt is first to break down, not wanting to believe that her daughter, her dearest Liberty, is pregnant. Mr. Van Zandt stays in a state of shock, not having any more words to say to his daughter. 

“I want you out of this house.” 

Liberty looks up at her father through her tears, unable to comprehend the words he is saying. 

“Harold, don’t -” Mrs. Van Zandt cries. 

“I at least need you out of the house tonight. I can’t stand to even be in your presence right now.” 

Her father’s words stab her multiple times over, her heart aching because of the fact she broke her parents’ trust and was no longer their golden child. 

Ruined. Everything is ruined. 

“Harold, please don’t kick her out of the house tonight. Where will she go?” 

“To stay with that dumb boy. Since you want to mess around and get pregnant and have the _audacity_ to hide it from us, see how his folks handle it. I’m done.” 

Mr. Van Zandt angrily stands up from the table and walks out of the front door, not another word escaping from his chapped lips. 

Mrs. Van Zandt can only stare at her child, unable to enforce the strict order. She fixes her mouth to say something multiple times, but each time results in failure, the shock of it all strangling her. 

Liberty continues to sob as she runs upstairs to pack a bag, her tears making it difficult to see what exactly she’s even packing. She stops when she feels a hand on her arm, her brother Danny standing behind her with tears in his eyes. 

“He doesn’t mean it. He’s just mad, right now,” Danny says, his voice breaking. 

Liberty says nothing, continuing to go around her room and pack her things for the night. 

Danny soon realizes his words mean nothing. Just like the obedient daughter she is, she is following her father’s orders and vacating the family home for the night, just as she has been explicitly told. 

Liberty pushes past Danny without another word, her bag packed and her mind made up. 

When she shuts the front door behind her, her feet lead her to the only place she can think of. She’s hoping he still has a gram of hospitality left in him. 

She hesitates to knock on the apartment door for a second, afraid that J.T.’s grandmother will be the one to answer and not J.T. himself. Alas, the autumn air kicks into gear, prompting her to knock to avoid getting frostbite. She hears some shuffling from inside before the door swings open, an unkept J.T. standing before her. 

“Can I stay with you tonight?” 

J.T. blinks, noticing the bag on her arm and the tears in her eyes. He immediately furrows his brows, concerned about what is going on. 

“Uh, I guess.” 

“Thanks,” Liberty sniffles, following behind J.T. as he moves out of the way so she can come inside. 

“What’s going on?” 

“My parents know. My father kicked me out for the night.” 

J.T. can only stand there, his mouth agape. He slowly begins to pull Liberty in for a hug, the former breaking down into tears as soon as they make contact with one another. J.T. rubs her back as her shoulders heave up and down, this pattern of sadness all too familiar to him. 

Liberty barely stops her cries to say one thing. 

“W-We have to tell your grandma. Where is she?” 

J.T.’s eyes widen as the idea registers in his mind, fear in his eyes. “A-Are you sure? I-I mean she doesn’t need more stress, you know?” 

“J.T., please. I’m tired of hiding this.” 

J.T. breathes. “She’s out for Bingo tonight, but I don’t know if she’s coming back in. She might decide to stay with my old aunt to care for her.” 

Liberty pulls away from his embrace, looking him dead in the eyes. “We have to tell her in the morning. We have to.” 

“Okay.” 

The rest of the night becomes a hazy blur, Liberty’s anguish tiring her out quickly. 

Although they aren’t back together, they cuddle that night, J.T. holding Liberty tight as her breathing slows. He peppers her temple with kisses, not caring if the line between lover and ex was hazy in that moment. He wants her to know he still cares, and it’s the only way he knows how to show it. Liberty doesn’t mind, however. She adores the thought, although her heart still aches that they can’t seem to make it right at the moment. 

As she slips away into a realm of temporary peace, she finds one thing to be true. 

Despite everything, J.T. Yorke will always have her, just like this. 

~~~ 

Just as planned, they tell J.T.’s grandmother the next morning, her reaction far tamer than that of Liberty’s parents. 

J.T.’s grandmother doesn’t say much, her disappointment apparent through her silence. She also doesn’t shame the pair, either. 

She tells them one thing before going back to her room to think things over. “Whatever you do, do it for the betterment of the child.” 

J.T. urges Liberty to take it easy and stay home from school for a day, but Liberty declines, pressing the fact that work was one of the only things that kept her mind distracted and preoccupied. 

It isn’t until she walks down the hall to her first class of the day that she feels that familiar pang in her lower abdomen again. She brushes it off as being phantom, seeing as her mind was already busy trying to make her life a living hell for the day. She snaps out of her misery when a familiar voice breaks the silence around her. 

“Something wrong, Liberty? You seem sad.” 

Liberty turns to Manny as she takes her seat, her puffy cheeks a dead giveaway of her hours of crying the night before. 

“It’s nothing. Just a subpar grade made me a little weepy.” 

Manny gasps. “Liberty Van Zandt? Subpar grade? Ugh, those go together about as well as spice brown and hot pink. No, really, what’s up, Lib? You know you can tell me anything.” 

“There’s nothing to tell. Promise.” 

Manny stops pressing as the bell rings, turning her seat around to face the front as the lecture begins.


	13. Chapter 13

“They’re perfect.” 

“Huh?” 

Liberty looks down at her thumbs as the wind hits against the car. “The candidates we talked to earlier. They’re perfect.” 

Liberty groans. She hates she found the perfect people to give their baby away to. She selfishly wishes no such perfect people existed but there they were in all their glory. Well educated, highly articulate, moderately wealthy. They were as perfect as perfect can be. It made Liberty sick. 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” J.T. asks, confused as always. 

“Yes, that’s the problem. It’s abhorrent.” 

J.T. quickly takes his eyes off the road to look at Liberty, his brief view of her enough to read her. She’s heartbroken, yet knows this is for the best, just like him. 

J.T. reaches over and rubs Liberty’s belly, the gesture slightly startling Liberty at the suddenness of it. “We love you very much, little guy or lady. We hope you always know that.” 

At that very moment, with J.T.’s hand still present on her belly, she feels another pang in her lower abdomen, this time the pain eliciting a small yelp from her lips. J.T. immediately snatches his hand away, nearly driving the car off the road. 

“You okay, Lib?” 

Just as Liberty tries to nod, another sharp pain shoots through her, this time the pain intensifying. “I-I’m not sure.” 

The pain only gets worse, Liberty’s knuckles turning white from gripping on the overhead handle. She’s in too much pain to realize the pool of liquid around her ankles. She lets out a blood-curdling scream when she does eventually realize this, her mind immediately fearing the worst. 

J.T. quickly looks to the passenger side floor and sees the liquid, his own heart racing out of his chest. 

“Oh my God...” he mumbles, seemingly caught in a daze. 

“Hospital. Now.” 

That’s all it takes before J.T. is burning rubber down the highway, his old car not able to get them there fast enough. 

Liberty tries to breathe through the pain but fails as it only sharpens and takes the wind out of her, her silent cries going unnoticed. 

The next series of events happens in an evil blur. Bright lights, sterile smells, and fresh blood coming out of her is all too much. She screams but no one can hear her. No one cares. 

_My baby. My baby._

She tries to say something, anything, but nothing comes out. Not even a squeak. 

She loses sight of J.T. before long, the pain all too much for her to focus. 

She tries to make sense of the jargon the doctors and nurses talk above her but can’t, a scream exiting her body as more pain courses through her. 

“Sir, I’m sorry, but you can’t go beyond this point.” 

J.T. doesn’t believe it. He’s being barred from undoubtedly one of the most important moments of his life. 

“Let me through, please! Liberty... Liberty!” 

Liberty can barely focus on J.T.’s voice, the doctor’s words sounding like great shouts of death to her. 

“Please stop talking,” she mutters, sweat beading at her forehead. 

“Ma’am, you’re going to have to push.” 

Liberty doesn’t understand. She’s not due yet. “I-I’m not due yet. It’s not time to push.” 

“Sweetie, you’re in labor. You need to push, now,” the doctor says again, this time making eye contact with Liberty. 

“No, it’s not time yet. This can’t be happening,” Liberty argues, fighting against the urge to push. 

“I know, but you have to push. It’s the best choice for your baby.” 

Liberty sobs, the combination of all the different facets of pain getting to her. “I can’t do this... I can’t...” 

“Yes, you can. On my count, okay?” 

“I can’t... I want, J.T. Where’s J.T.?” 

“He can’t join us, right now.” 

Liberty’s cries only grow louder, her grief insurmountable. She can barely catch her breath enough to respond to the doctor, her tears moistening the sheet surrounding her. 

Somehow, the doctors get her under control enough to push, breaking their rules by allowing J.T. to come be by Liberty’s side. 

“You can do this, Lib. Push,” J.T. encourages, holding her hand. 

Liberty crushes J.T.’s hand as she pushes, every push a second closer to hopefully meeting their new child. 

J.T. wipes Liberty’s forehead clean of the sweat that began to form there as she pauses from pushing, his mind too much of a nervous wreck to focus on one thing. 

Push. Breathe. Push. Breathe. 

This vicious cycle seemingly goes on for forever until Liberty feels something slip out of her, the doctor’s immediately catching the tiny being. 

Silence. 

Not a cry to be heard. 

_Come on, baby. Give us a breath._

Nothing. 

J.T. prays harder than he’s ever prayed before. 

Liberty holds onto his hand tightly as the doctors whisk the tiny infant away, their silence being amplified as Liberty and J.T. break down, each ex-lover holding on to each other as they feared for the worst. 

The doctor shortly comes back to confirm their worst fears. 

Their child never drew one breath. 

An immeasurable amount of time passes as each party grieves the loss of their child, a boy. It’s a pain unlike anything else in the world, a pain neither would wish on their worst enemy. 

A glimpse of shallow hope lights up in their eyes as they doctors allow the two to see the tiny child, his skin blue and his eyes closed, seemingly in a peaceful sleep. Liberty sobs grow deeper as she holds him, his limp body in her arms causing her the greatest amount of emotional pain she’s ever experienced. She tries to make peace as she plants a gentle kiss on his soft forehead, but can’t as she allows for J.T. a turn to hold the child. He is equally heartbroken, with his grief presenting as shock more than anything. 

The hours seem to go by as each teenager looks in awe of the tiny, still being in front of him. Liberty feels waves of pain as she is reminded she seemingly could not give him the life necessary to join them on this earth, his home instead remaining in the great clouds above. 

She barely speaks as her parents join her by her side, the two adults crying silent tears as they look at their grandchild. 

Their sudden spark of empathy makes Liberty sick to her stomach, seeing as they shamed her when they found it. She nearly throws them out of the room, but doesn’t, her pain too much to allow her to say such things at that time. 

J.T.’s grandmother shortly joins them, her cries resembling an injured lamb. Her heart not only aches for her deceased great-grandchild, but also the heartbreak her grandson and his girlfriend must be going through, a pain she can’t even dare imagine. 

As the sun sets and the moon rises, Liberty and J.T. can only hold each other, their deceased son whisked away for further examination. 

They don’t speak, the pain in their hearts rendering their mouths useless. They can only hold each other on the tiny hospital bed, the cold air making their body heat much more comfortable. 

Liberty quickly tries to go to sleep, hoping that today was indeed just another bad nightmare and nothing more. 

She awakes the next morning to find that that indeed is not the case, the death certificate awaiting on her lunch tray. 

She tries to go to sleep again, and again, and again, and again – and each time she awakens, she finds the death certificate still there, untouched. 

As she goes to sleep one last time before signing it, one thing runs rampant through her mind. 

_My baby is gone._

~~~ 

Liberty has never felt such a disturbing pain as this. It feels as though her heart is being shattered into a million pieces. The pain makes the rest of the world completely silent, leaving her to wallow in her personal hell. 

Each night she lies on her twin bed, she sees the image of what could have been, the image of their son alive and well. 

Instead, she is left with the brutal truth of reality. 

Her son is dead. 

When that tiny, blameless angel left this crazy world, Liberty truly felt a part of her left with him, the two of them becoming one and dancing in the eternal light of the great beyond. 

Nobody understands – and it made her even more angry when others tried to understand the torture her soul was under. 

Even as J.T. holds her while she cries and cries, it still feels wrong, all wrong. 

“Just leave me be, J.T. You don’t understand this pain,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. 

J.T. opens his mouth to fight back that, yes, he did understand, but he doesn’t, instead ignoring her wishes and continuing to surround her with all the love in his heart he couldn’t verbalize. 

His gesture seems to have been proven right, as Liberty only pulls him tighter, her sobs growing louder and closer together. 

“Will it ever get better?” 

Liberty asks the question more so to herself, forgetting that J.T. was even in the same room as her. 

“It will,” J.T. answers, careful not to push her over the edge even more. 

“How do you know that?” Liberty snaps, her chest heaving as she tries to get her breathing under control. 

“Because I won’t let you go until it does.” 

Liberty says nothing more, instead fighting her bitterness to believe in J.T.’s shallow words, wanting to believe the hidden truths in them. 

_I hope so._


	14. Chapter 14

“I don’t really know what’s been harder for me – signing my baby’s birth and death certificate at the same time, or burying him.” 

The therapist doesn’t look too disturbed at Liberty’s confession, her stoic features allowing for Liberty to spill her guts out without feeling intimidated. 

Liberty hates unnecessary empathy. It makes her itch. 

“I mean, both equally sucked, but I can’t really tell you which made me lose sleep more. I guess signing the death certificate was harder. It just made everything seem more...concrete... and I hate that.” 

The therapist slowly nods, processing Liberty’s words. “And what makes you hate that?” 

“I guess... because there is no turning back from that. My son is dead and that’s a fact, not fiction.” 

A small beat of silence passes before the therapist speaks again. "Well, is there anything else you’d like to discuss today?” 

“Not really. I think I’ll manage just fine.” 

The therapist frowns, knowing Liberty has more to talk about but is just unwilling to talk about it. “Alright, then. You can schedule your next appointment up front.” 

Liberty started going to therapy shortly after the funeral of her son, the pain becoming too unbearable to bottle up all on her own. J.T. could only talk her down so much. 

Regardless, it was the start of a new school year and Liberty felt oddly optimistic. She was on track to become valedictorian and despite all of her personal setbacks, her academic career was in tip top shape, that being the only thing that allowed her to wake up in the morning. 

Today had been going surprisingly well – almost too well. Her therapy appointment started right on time early in the morning, her new car gifted to her by parents was up and running again, and she felt confident about the day’s test in calculus. 

The only thing that didn’t feel good was seeing J.T. talk to her. 

She’s a new girl, untouched by the veils of drama that surrounded Degrassi. Although her and J.T. tried to start back up their relationship at the end of the school year, Liberty once again pushed him away, her grief not allowing her to properly have love for J.T. 

So, J.T. did what any other teenage boy would do – he moved on to better, _skinnier_ things. It also didn’t help that the tramp had a kid, making Liberty’s pain surface all over again. 

“My kid loves you,” she had heard the girl say, the strawberry in her hand no longer appealing. 

“Ah, really? Can’t believe I have little fans of my own out there,” J.T. replies, offering the girl a smile. 

Liberty watches as the two exchange laughs with one another, her bitterness and sadness becoming way too apparent. She knew, deep down, she still wanted to be with J.T., but couldn’t find the words to tell the lanky boy this, feeling as if she’s already been the source of his pain for far too long. 

_“You sure you don’t miss her man?”_

_“Ugh, no. When we’re together, she treats me like crap. Why would I want to be around that?”_

Liberty is sure that those are the conversations J.T. has about her. While she’s right, she’s missing a key fact, the fact that he never stops talking about her. 

So, when the new girl, _Mia_ , comes onto the scene, it shocks everyone to see the two hit it off so quickly, their main link being how good J.T. is with kids. 

Manny is the main one to talk of Liberty moving on, with Emma agreeing. 

“Look, Liberty. You got to move on. You and him? Too much history. It’s best you drop it like it’s hot, sista.” 

“I know, I know, but I can’t. It’s just too soon.” 

“Well, he doesn’t think so,” Emma chimes in, motioning to how loudly Mia and J.T. were laughing. 

“Besides, this is a new school year. Change is bound to happen,” Manny continues, taking a sip from her Frappuccino. 

“But what if I’m still not over last year...” Liberty mumbles, more so to herself than anything. 

“Huh?” 

“Nothing.” 

“I know last year was super difficult for you, but that doesn’t mean your happiness ends there. Smile. Smell the metaphorical roses!” Emma exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air. 

“Are you high, Em?” Manny questions, noticing Emma’s all-too-happy attitude. 

“I think the correct term is drunk, Manny,” Emma slurs, slumping over in her chair. 

Liberty takes the cue to leave the two to sort themselves out, leaving her alone... again. 

She just didn’t understand. Was she that appalling to be with? Why couldn’t she ever keep close with the ones she loved? She just didn’t understand it. 

Her thoughts quickly fly away as J.T. walks her direction, a pang of sadness tugging at her heart. 

“Hey,” he says, the smell of Mia on his shirt. 

“Hey.” 

J.T. awkwardly looks down at his shoes. “So... how are you?” 

She hates this. _Why is he treating me like a stranger?_

“I’m fine. You?” 

J.T. shrugs his shoulders, his tall torso contorting a bit to accommodate the weight on his back. 

“Better than I thought I’d be.” 

“I see.” 

The bell rings all too soon, their already short contact together being cut in half. 

“Listen, I... we should catch up sometime – if you want, of course. It’s just been a while since... you know,” J.T. says, whispering the last bit. 

Liberty nods, seemingly agreeing with her ex-boyfriend. “Yeah, sure. I’ll just have to write it down on my schedule first.” 

“Ah, right.” J.T. laughs, remembering that little quirk about her. “You and your schedules – how could I forget? Well, I bet it’s filling up more than ever now that senior year’s around.” 

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” 

The bell rings once more, letting the two know class will begin shortly. 

J.T. then walks away, leaving Liberty alone... again.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short lil update because of the sweet comments I've been getting. you guys are too kind! <3

_Giggles erupt from the tiny fort the two lovebirds spontaneously had made one evening, the movie in question long forgotten about._

_“A nocturnal emission? About me? Why, I’m quite flattered, Mr. Yorke.”_

_“Well, if you talk any louder all of Canada will know about it,” J.T. groans, putting his red face in his hands._

_“Don’t be embarrassed. I’m the one that was holding our love torch single-handedly, like a fool, for many years,” Liberty laughs, her body splayed out on the carpet._

_“What did you even see in me, anyway? You never let up – even when I treated you so horribly, you still liked me. Why?”_

_Liberty sighs, remembering some of the mistreatment she endured from her now-boyfriend before their time together. “Because... there’s just something about you. You’re special, J.T.”_

_J.T.’s blush deepens, the heat encapsulated by the weight of the blankets only adding to the warmth in the tiny area._

_“Besides, this Van Zandt doesn’t fall for just anyone. I have standards, you know.”_

_J.T. scoffs. “Yeah, right. Tell that to your crook of an ex, Towerz.”_

_“It was a small lapse in judgment, an unaccounted-for error.”_

_“Well, what do you say we forget such an error happened and focus on right now?” J.T. purrs, closing the gap between them._

_“I agree. The past is the past.”_

_Liberty is first to initiate the kiss, her actions being humble and polite. J.T. disregards this set principle and turns the kiss into one of pure hunger, Liberty’s lips being his sweet, sweet drug._

_Never, had they ever felt like this before._

Liberty isn’t sure what makes her think of the memory. Maybe it’s the non-existent lighting. Maybe it’s the fact a completely unrelated movie is playing. Or maybe it’s the sleepy nature in the classroom. 

All she does know is one thing, that has never changed since the beginning all those years ago. 

_I’m still in love with J.T. Yorke._


	16. Chapter 16

It’s not that J.T. had forgotten all the events of the past year and has tried to quickly moved on. It’s just... all his baggage with Liberty seemingly made it impossible to enjoy a good relationship with her. Something was always in the way, with it now being _someone._

J.T. doesn’t mind this, with the someone in question being a fiery hot meatball sub – something to appease and excite your taste buds for days to come. On the other cold, clammy hand, Liberty is just oatmeal, something you eat when you’re sick, down and out, _bored._

“Then why don’t you ever shut up about her?” 

The question stumps J.T. Had he really been talking about her that much? Nonsense. Nothing could be farther from the truth. 

“The only reason I do is to compare and contrast, Tobes. Duh.” 

Toby shrugs, refusing to believe J.T.’s words but also not wanting to push him any harder. 

“Speaking of meatball sub, there she is... and here I go.” 

J.T. walks over to the tiny bench Mia is seated at, the sun shining on her just right and making her look like a goddess from ancient Greece. He watches as she runs her hand through her long, luscious hair. J.T. swears he drools a little. 

“Mind if I join your company?” 

Mia looks up at him, the sunlight making her brown eyes glow and shine the most beautiful amber brown. “Sure. I could really use someone to talk to right now, anyways.” 

J.T. frowns, noticing Mia’s stress as he takes a seat. “What’s wrong?” 

Mia groans, putting her head in her hands. “It’s my daughter, Isabella. She was up all night long with a fever.” 

“Aw, man. I hope she feels better.” 

“Yeah, I hope so, too. My mom is taking her to the doctor while I’m in school... I just pray everything is alright with her.” 

J.T. stays silent, unsure of how to respond to the situation. His mind quickly wanders to the what if’s he had been suppressing since that awful day a couple months ago, a place that he hated going to. He quickly snaps out of it when Mia lays her hand on his, a smile forming on her lips. 

“I’m sorry. I need to stop being so mopey,” she laughs, quickly removing her hand from over his. 

J.T. internally cries at the loss of contact. “No, no. You’re fine. I get it. You’re worried - like any good parent would be.” 

Mia smiles. “Thanks for comforting me. I promise there’s more to me than just mom stuff,” she laughs, pulling away the stray hairs that had fallen into her face. 

“Well, I’d love to find out, whenever you’re ready.” 

The two share a quaint smile with one another, basking in the sunlight. 

This feels... right.


	17. Chapter 17

Liberty hates these days most. The loud noises, sweaty bodies, and roar of cheers all too much for her. It’s not that she didn’t like to have fun, she just wasn’t the biggest fan of pep rallies. It was a pointless way of raising school spirit and taking away from vital class instruction. 

She used to not hate it as much, with J.T.’s presence as the mascot making it all the more worth it. But now, her hatred has grown back, this time intertwined with sadness. 

She doesn’t know how it all transpires, but all she knows is Manny went from cheering to knocking the lights out of someone – all within a matter of minutes. 

She gasps as she sees J.T. having an altercation with some rowdy boy, J.T. slinging his mascot head in his direction and successfully knocking him to the ground. 

She has no idea what’s going on, and now is unsure if she even wants to. 

Whistles are blown and students are escorted back to their respective classes, the pep rally long abandoned in the physical, but living on in the social world. 

She tries to eavesdrop as multiple people talk about the incident, but can’t piece together anything that is cohesive. So, she drops it, but she never drops the image of J.T. hitting someone. It had to have been for a reason, J.T. wouldn’t just hit someone... would he? 

Confused – she is terribly confused. 

Her confusion only grows when she sees J.T. awkwardly walk back into the classroom, a look of defeat on his face. Whispers loudly begin to circulate around the room as J.T. takes his seat, putting his mascot head by his feet. 

She shouldn’t be worried about it, but she is. Why’d he do such a stupid thing in front of the whole school? Anything could’ve happened to him. 

Idiotic, immature, and slow to think. 

That was the J.T. Yorke that drove Liberty mad, and the J.T. Yorke that eventually drove them apart. 

Even when class is dismissed, she doesn’t pursue him, her assumptions sounding good enough to be true. 

However, her perspective slightly changes as she remembers something she spoke ages ago in the cafeteria, a wash rag in hand and a fat crush in her heart. 

_I find protest an honorable quality in a man._

That’s all it takes for her to stop being angry, that one quality J.T. possessed most likely the reason behind the foolishness today. Or at least, that’s what she wants to keep thinking, so she thinks it and moves on to the next class of the day.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasn't gonna update until like two days from now but surprise! couldn't resist. also we hit 100 hits omggg thank you guys for all the support <3

J.T. isn’t sure how it happens, but it happens. 

He’s got one arm wrapped around a sleeping Isabella and another around Isabella’s mother, the air conditioning of the McDonald’s seemingly all too much of an enticement to fall asleep for little Isabella. 

Mia laughs, eating a stray fry. “I’ve never seen her become so attached to someone in such a short amount of time.” She’s amazed – little Isabella was sound asleep with no protest, even snuggling into the otherwise stranger’s shirt. 

“What can I say – I've got the Midas touch,” J.T. chides, gesturing for Mia to put a fry in his mouth. 

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you _don’t_ turn my daughter into gold.” 

“No promises,” J.T. sings, still chewing. 

The two share a quaint laugh, careful not to wake up the sleeping child. 

“You know, I really thought you’d be more freaked since I have a kid and all. But here you are... cool as a cucumber.” 

J.T. shrugs. “I love kids. It’s kind of my job to.” He laughs, a genuine laugh escaping from his thin lips. 

“True.” 

The feelings of joy are soon cut short, the atmosphere completely shifting as some rowdy, no-good boys enter the fast-food joint, their presence not ignored due to their loud curses. 

J.T. swears he hears Mia curse under her breath, but can’t be too sure, Isabella muffling some of his hearing. 

“Well, well, well. Look who it is. The school tramp... with a _new_ baby daddy.” 

J.T. stares at the owner of the voice, a beanie on the kid’s head along with a full head of hair that fell into his eyes. 

“Nic, please. Not in front of my daughter,” Mia pleads, putting down her drink. 

The Nic character only slithers closer to their table, the smell of cigarettes on his teenage breath. 

“So, when’s the new baby due? Or are you two off to make it?” a new character speaks, an ugly laugh escaping from him. He then leans in close to J.T., an evil smirk on his lips. “Doesn’t take much for them legs to open, man. I’d hit it now if I were you.” 

“Enough!” Mia shouts, drawing attention from other customers. “Stop harassing us. All of you.” 

The crowd of boys laugh amongst themselves, clearly not threatened by the warning. 

“Hey, mascot boy. You were all about beating my ass at the pep rally. Come and get me,” Nic says, outstretching his hands. 

J.T. says nothing, not wanting to disturb Isabella. 

“Just give the tramp her kid and let’s fight. One on one.” 

“J.T., don’t,” Mia pleads, fear in her eyes. 

J.T.’s so conflicted. Part of him wants to get up from this table and beat the living shit out of him, but the other part of him wants to not escalate the situation further, afraid the violence will negatively affect his free time again. 

After much deliberation, J.T. decides to not pursue the loser, instead taking Mia by the hand and motioning for her stand with him. 

“Come on. Let me get you guys home.” 

The pair continue to walk out as insults are hurled at them, the situation deeply pissing the both of them off. 

Once they safely are loaded in the car, Mia apologizes, sorry to bring her baggage to an otherwise fun outing. 

“I’m sorry. I totally didn’t mean for all of this to happen. Maybe we shouldn’t...” 

J.T.’s eyes widen as he understands what she’s insinuating. “Hey, don’t. I had fun and I really like you. I want to continue whatever _this_ is, if you’re cool with it.” 

Mia offers him a shy smile. “I’d like that.” 

J.T. can only smile, his raw reaction of pure joy trapped within his boyish interior. 

He’s not sure of many things right now, but he is sure of one thing. He sure does like meatball subs way more than oatmeal.


	19. Chapter 19

The days turn into weeks as J.T. and Mia continue with their relationship, everything else becoming background noise when the two are together – well, almost everything. 

As he leans in a little closer to Mia’s tiny face, her eyes automatically closing and her lips puckering up a bit, he can’t help but notice a hurt Liberty in the corner of his vision, the atmosphere for kissing officially squashed. 

Mia bats her eyelashes as she realizes she’s been slighted. “Is everything alright, J.T.?” 

J.T. clears his throat, snapping out of his ex-lover's trance. “Y-Yeah. It’s just... a lot’s been on my mind, lately.” 

“It’s about us, isn’t it?” Mia asks, her blunt question causing J.T. to jump out of his skin. 

“No, no. I love this, us. I’m just... you know, what? How about we go for a hot date tonight?” 

“Tonight? Hm... I don’t know. Seems like you’re just saying that to change the subject.” 

She’s not... completely wrong. 

“What? Never! I’m serious, Mia,” J.T. says, taking her hand in his. 

Mia sighs, rolling her eyes. “You’re on, Yorke,” she smiles, closing the gap between them for a gentle kiss. 

It takes everything in J.T. to not pull away, the kiss so sudden that it leaves him no time to mentally prepare. 

He can’t help but notice in his peripheral vision an image of Liberty walking away, her head hung low and shoulder’s slacked. 

He doesn’t understand. He has a beautiful girl in front of him, and yet he can’t stop thinking about her. 

_Liberty, Liberty, Liberty._

He then leans forward and kisses Mia once again, this time the kiss full of more passion as he tries to kiss away his thoughts of Liberty. While his actions do work to temporarily block the thoughts of Liberty, they only bring about more guilt, as the image of Liberty walking away replays in his mind over and over again. 

J.T. pulls away from the heated kiss, readjusting the bookbag on his back. “I’ve got to go. See you at six?” 

Mia eagerly nods, biting her lip ever-so-slightly. 

With that, J.T. walks away, visions of Mia temporarily blocking the overwhelming thoughts of Liberty.


	20. Chapter 20

Happiness. 

Something J.T. Yorke _thought_ he had. He has a hot girlfriend, a great job, and a great group of friends. Yet, he still finds himself yearning for things in the past, bookish things, such as Liberty Van Zandt. 

When Liberty approaches him by his locker one day, he’s conflicted. He knows he probably shouldn’t be talking to her, yet he couldn’t help but to want to know everything –like how her day’s going and if she ever got around to finishing her latest book. 

“J.T., I...” 

J.T. blinks at her as the words struggle to form outside her mouth. _Say it. Say it._

“I... you know what... this is pointless. Sorry for bothering you.” 

Before he can say anything, Mia quickly replaces Liberty’s presence, placing a kiss on his now warm cheek. The smell of her perfume temporarily puts a spell on him, making him forget for a second Liberty was ever in his presence. 

“We still on for tonight?” she asks, her sweet eyes peeking from her bangs. 

J.T. clears his throat as he snaps out of his daydream, the present quickly rushing back to him. “Yeah. ‘Course.” 

Mia smiles as she walks away, blowing a chaste kiss J.T.’s way. He pretends to catch it, shivering in embarrassment when he’s sure Mia isn’t looking. 

He then feels a pang of sadness in his heart as he notices Liberty walking away, her face painted in sadness. It bothers him – yet, he doesn’t know why. He has no attachment to Liberty anymore, so why does it hurt to see her hurt? 

Overwhelmed, J.T. lets out a big breath before walking to his next class, trying to forget his obvious feelings of pity toward Liberty. 

_Oatmeal is basic. Meatball subs are what you need, J.T._


	21. Chapter 21

_“Liberty.”_

Liberty averts her eyes from J.T. and Mia (they look so happy) to find the source of the singing voice. She groans as she finds the voice to belong to Manny, that voice obviously up to no good. 

“A little birdie told me it’s your birthday today, girlfriend. It’s time to party into the next dimension, sista!” 

“Pass,” Liberty says, her eyes going back to their original focus on the computer. 

“Aw, come on. You have to celebrate. You’re one of the most hardest working people I know. If anyone deserves a party, it’s you.” 

Still unconvinced, Liberty sighs, finding more excuses to not go. “I don’t have a thing to wear and my hair is a mess.” 

“Uh, hello? You’re talking to the makeover specialist, herself. Come over early and I’ll hot you up for a night you’ll never forget.” 

Liberty deeply exhales before she says her next statement, already knowing Manny will give an overreaction. “If I say yes, will you stop pestering me about it?” 

Manny squeals, immediately crouching down to embrace Liberty. “You will _not_ regret this. Trust me.” 

“Trusting I am.” 

With that, Manny walks away, a little more pep in her step than usual. 

The implications of what Liberty has just signed up for immediately wash over her, causing her to put her head in her hands and let out an angry groan. 

She hates birthdays. She never understood what was so special about celebrating the passage of time. I mean, we grow every single day. Why celebrate the one day we were born without permission just because society tells us to? 

Stupid. Liberty thinks it’s very stupid. 

What she doesn’t think is stupid, however, is the upcoming peace summit between Lakehurst and Degrassi students. The summit was created to enforce a mutual agreement of peace after a very turbulent couple of months of fighting and arguments, something that gave Degrassi a bad rep, and that Liberty has been tasked to fix. Although she’s made many flyers and mass emails about it, little interest has been had amongst the general population of students. It seems the ones who don’t cause the trouble are the only ones interested in attending, which is better than nothing. 

One boy in particular caught Liberty’s eye, which was quite rare seeing as Liberty had undoubtable certifications of standards that had to be met first. 

His name was Damian. He was tall, caring, passionate, and most importantly, smart as can be, writing off all the most important qualities on Liberty’s list of attraction. 

So, as Manny somehow wrangles him into coming to Liberty’s birthday party that night, Liberty doesn’t object to his presence. 

“Yeah, I’d love to come. It’ll be a nice demonstration of peace between Degrassi and Lakehurst,” Damian says, putting his hands in his pockets. 

“Which is just what we need,” Manny chimes in, standing behind Liberty. 

“Until tonight, have a good day, Liberty,” Damian says, beginning his journey exiting the classroom. 

“I’ll try my darndest.” 

Manny drops her smile when she sees Damian nowhere near earshot. “Still gotta work on your party lingo, there, girlfriend.” 

For the first time since she was young, Liberty didn’t quite object to celebrating such a passage of time after all.


	22. Chapter 22

“Liberty! Hey!” 

Liberty turns her head as she hears a familiar voice call out for her. None other than the great J.T. Yorke. 

“You missed the peace summit,” she starts off, her eyes glued to her shoes. 

“Yeah, I feel I’ve caused enough problems. I made a noble decision and decided to stay out of it. Sorry.” 

Liberty nods, vaguely understanding the rift he currently had with other Lakehurst students over her. 

“Anyways, I just wanted to congratulate you, your BBPE is well deserved,” J.T. states, a smile creeping over his face. 

“Translation?” 

“Big Birthday Party Extravaganza! Duh.” 

“Ah, yes. Like I’d know such an abbreviation,” Liberty laughs, that being the first time in a long time she’s shared a genuine laugh with J.T. “Besides, you know how I feel about birthdays.” 

“Why, yes. Your exact words last year were: “Why celebrate the passage of time?” But guess what? We still had a pretty great time. It was a great chocolate cake by yours truly, if I do say so myself.” 

Liberty chuckles, playfully punching J.T. in the arm. “A lot has changed since then, J.T. We’ve both grown up, moved on, matured... even you, J.T... Mia’s a lucky girl.” 

Just as she turns to walk away, J.T. speaks again, this time his words being of good things, things that don’t involve her. “Alas, she’s gone-zo for the weekend, leaving just me and only me to celebrate your ‘passage of time’ with you.” 

Liberty turns around, her features lit up. “You should come. Your presence wouldn’t be objected to on such an event.” 

“Well, that’s comforting to hear, considering it was _my_ idea,” J.T. laughs, his hands in his pockets. 

Liberty smiles, a really, really genuine smile. “You? That’s so sweet, J.T. Why’d you do that for me?” 

“Eh, no biggie. You’ve just been in a funk. So, like the thoughtful person I am, I considered a birthday party would give you something to smile about,” he says, opening the door to his car. “See you later!” 

With that, he drives off, leaving a happy Liberty with a not-so-dumb smile on her face.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> double update to honor JT's 14th death anniversary. rest in peace, king <3

Liberty barely recognizes the young woman staring back at her in the mirror, Manny’s work of art making her almost unrecognizable – in a good way. 

“And... voila! One sizzling hot Liberty for an equally sizzling hot birthday party!” Manny exclaims, setting her makeup brush down. 

Liberty sighs, something obviously still bothering her. Manny takes notice, immediately asking her what’s wrong. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“I don’t know... I guess I’m just used to being ugly, unattractive, _not_ pretty.” 

Manny gasps, unable to believe the words exiting one of her closest friends’ mouth. “Nonsense! You are gorgeous, Lib! All I did was enhance your beauty. Trust me, Damian will be _all_ over you tonight.” 

“What if I don’t want it to be Damian?” Liberty mumbles, a little too loudly just enough for Manny to hear. 

“Sista, you’ve got to move on. Take it from me, someone who’s ex is a literal crackhead,” Manny says, giving Liberty’s face some final touches. “Guys are like clothes – you have to update your wardrobe and throw out what’s not in season anymore, and J.T. is _clearly_ not in season anymore. In fact, I don’t know if he ever _has_ been in season.” 

Liberty shrugs, taking in Manny’s advice only somewhat. “I guess you’re right.” 

“See? That’s my girl. Now, put these on and you’ll be good to go,” Manny says, handing Liberty her signature pair of glasses. 

Liberty follows the instruction and puts them on, immediately feeling more like herself. 

Liberty is led downstairs by Manny to find J.T., along with others, in front of a birthday cake. 

“Surprise!” they all shout, with J.T.’s voice being the loudest of them all. 

“Wow, my favorite kind. How unsurprising,” Liberty quips, the candles somehow being blown out all by themselves. 

J.T. then begins to walk toward her, a lone drink in his hand. “Speaking about surprises – you look... really beautiful, Liberty.” 

Liberty swears she feels herself burning up from the inside, her skin on fire and her face turning a vibrant red. “Thanks, J.T... I think.” 

The space between them shrinks as a crowd of people rush in the Emma’s front door, the rowdy partygoers bumping them together. 

“Sorry,” J.T. says, realizing he accidentally brushed his hand across Liberty’s dress. 

“It’s fine. Really.” 

The song playing in the background quickly changes to an up-tempo one, prompting everyone to dance along. Just as she thinks she’ll dance with J.T., Damian appears, blinking in Liberty’s direction. J.T. unfortunately gets the hint and leaves the two be, leaving them to awkwardly dance with one another. 

“Sorry,” Liberty yells, the music far too loud to hold an intellectual conversation. 

“Why are you apologizing?” Damian yells back, confusion on his face. 

“I’m not the strongest dancer – that's why!” 

Damian waves her off, laughing. “Don’t sweat it. Just feel the beat.” 

Heeding Damian’s advice, the two finally get into a nice groove, although Liberty guarantees she looks absolutely ridiculous. They continue with their dance until Manny pitters across the converted dance floor, a drunk Emma in her grasp. 

“I’m going to get a drink. Be back,” Damian says, pushing through the throngs of people. 

Something tells Liberty this isn’t the case, however. Although, she’s all too relieved to stop dancing for it to bother her long enough. 

She herself decides to go outside, the peace of night far more enticing than the sweaty bodies and loud music inside the house. She quickly gets caught up in staring at the beautiful stars to notice that J.T. had once again found her. 

“Hey, birthday girl,” he greets, his hands behind his back. 

“Hey,” she says, her focus now turning to him. 

“Happy birthday!” he exclaims, his hands flinging from behind his back to reveal Liberty’s birthday present, her favorite flower, a baby’s breath. 

Liberty’s mouth drops agape, unsure of how to appreciate such a sweet gesture. “Baby’s breath, my favorite! Thanks so much, J.T.” 

“They don’t call me Mr. Thoughtful for nothing,” he chuckles, leaning against the windowsill. 

Peace and quiet falls between them, the bass from indoors rattling in their chests and causing their clothes to slightly vibrate. 

“So, uh, where’d your hot date go?” 

Liberty looks down at her feet, the peaceful quiet now ruined with J.T.’s obvious question. “He found someone else to not talk to.” 

“Well, like the song says: it’s your party, you can cry if you want to.” 

“Yeah, yeah, but I’m tired of crying. It feels like that’s all I’ve been doing since the fiasco of last year,” she sighs, twiddling her thumbs. 

J.T. stays silent, unsure of what to say to that. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to dampen your fun.” 

“No, no. Besides, there are three hundred and sixty-four non birthdays. Good days, days worth remembering.” 

“Like when we cleaned up the cafeteria together?” 

“Yeah, that was classic,” J.T. laughs, staring up at the beautiful night sky. 

“Or when you told me you had a wet dream about me?” Liberty giggles, playfully winking at a caught-off-guard J.T. 

“Not so classic,” J.T. says, shaking his head from embarrassment. 

Liberty takes a deep breath, unsure if she should say what’s in her heart next. Something in her makes her do it, though, the thought of J.T. not knowing driving her mad. “I want to tell the truth. I don’t want to lie anymore.” 

“Liberty, are you drunk?” J.T. questions, tilting his head out of pure confusion. 

“No. I’m perfectly sober. I just wanted to say I... still love you, J.T. I never stopped.” 

Liberty doesn’t know why she didn’t expect for J.T. to just stand there with his mouth agape, taken aback by her confession of love, but his response of silence still cuts her deep – like a knife. What feels like hours pass and he never responds, leaving Liberty heartbroken that his silence speaks louder than a thousand words ever could. 

She quickly flees the scene to tell Manny she’s out of there. Instead, she finds Damian and Manny dancing up on one another, further proving her point that she indeed has nobody. 

Just as she prepares to back up, she bumps into Emma, the smell of tequila lingering on her breath. 

“Hey, Liberty! What’s got you hung up?” Emma slurs, dancing along to a non-existent beat 

“I’d rather not talk about it, Emma,” Liberty says, trying to get around her. 

Emma instead blocks her path, her eyes crossed and lids hazy. “Don’t leave so soon. It’s your birthday. You deserve to have _fun_.” 

“Emma, please, not now. I’m really not in the mood,” Liberty pleads, still trying to get around a drunk Emma. 

“You know, something tells me you’re still into J.T. I mean, I would be too, if I were you. You guys have a lot of history... like me and Sean.” Emma stumbles a bit, nearly losing her footing. “Speaking of Sean, I’m going to go find my sexy man, something you should try and do, Liberty.” 

Emma then stumbles away into the crowd, long forgetting that conversation ever transpired. Liberty still remembers it, however, and it only makes her more upset. 

_Mistake, stupid mistake. This was all a stupid mistake._

Liberty somehow is able to find the coat rack, with her coat still perfectly intact on it. Just as she tries to open the door, J.T. blocks her action, putting his own hand on the door to keep it shut. 

“Can we just talk about this, please?” he says, using his body as a human shield. 

“What is there to talk about, huh? You made your answer loud and clear to me,” Liberty harshly replies back, her brows furrowed and arms outstretched. 

“Look. I have a girlfriend, Mia, who I really, really like,” he continues, more so to prove to himself that this saying is true. 

“Do you love her?” 

The question leaves J.T. dumbfounded, words not being able to come quickly enough to him to answer her. “Yes! Of course, I do!” 

“Then why are you standing here talking to me?” 

J.T. isn’t sure himself why he’s still standing here, preventing Liberty from leaving her own birthday party. _Do I still love her? Did I ever truly get over her? What about Mia?_ These thoughts race around his mind, none of them finding their respective answers in time. 

“I-I don’t know.” 

Liberty smells bullshit, and doesn’t have the time of the night to smell such a stench. “I think you do. You’re just too much of a coward to admit it!” 

With that, she’s gone into the night, J.T. left to only stand there and wonder why he couldn’t say all the things he is feeling on the inside. The loud music of the party clouds his judgement as he continues to stand in the doorframe, his judgement cloudy and his heart aching. 

_I love her. I love Liberty Van Zandt. I always have. I never stopped._

It doesn’t take much more thought for J.T. to go out into the night to find his oatmeal, his meatball sub no longer appealing to him.


	24. Chapter 24

“Liberty!” he calls out, the dark of night making it impossible to see anyone. 

The only thing that can be heard is the clacking of his shoes against the wet pavement, the rain letting up just in time for Liberty’s party. 

J.T.’s got his mind made up; it just stupidly took him more time than he liked it to. 

_No more hesitation. I must say what I will before it’s too late._

He finally rounds the corner to find two guys peeing on his car, the situation not amusing in the slightest to him. 

“You guys couldn’t find a toilet?” 

The blond whips around and simply laughs at J.T., his urine still freely flowing out on the street in front of him. 

“We did,” the red head quips, high fiving the blond over the dumb insult. 

J.T. sighs, walking over to his car after the two boys step away. “I get it – my car sucks. Ha, ha. You guys _slay_ me with your humor.” 

J.T. tunes out the world as he tries to unlock his car, his mind long past the two piss-head boys and now on Liberty. 

He fails to hear the red head whip out a pocket knife, the click all too quiet for J.T.’s ears to pick up on. What he can hear, however, is footsteps running in his direction, quickly gaining traction. He quickly whips around, the blade instead nicking him in the side, nearly missing his chest. The two struggle for a bit, J.T. grunting as he tries to get the boy to drop the blade. As J.T. puts his hands up to reach for the offending weapon, he feels a sharp pain in his side. He looks down to see fresh blood, pooling from his shirt. Immediately, the two stand back in surprise, as J.T. groans in agony, slipping down his car from shock. 

“What the hell did you just do?!” the blond exclaims, anger in his voice over the unnecessary violence. 

The two run off as Liberty approaches, her heels a dead giveaway of her presence. Liberty watches as the they escape into the night, confused as to why they’d want to get out of here so fast. 

She soon understands as she sees J.T., curled up against his car, writhing in agony. 

She immediately drops her things and runs to him, the smell of blood overwhelming as she gets close to him. 

“Stay with me, J.T. Stay with me,” Liberty pleads, slowly rocking him back and forth. 

J.T. fails to speak, the shock of everything leaving him speechless. 

Liberty calls out for help first, waiting on somebody, anybody, to find the two of them in the dark alley. She then immediately calls out to God, asking for Him to take her and not him if at all necessary. 

“Please, God,” she sobs, her tears, staining his white shirt. “I can’t lose him, too. Please, please!” 

“Liberty...” J.T. grunts out, the pain all too much for him to say anything else. 

“I know, I know. You don’t have to say anything... I know,” she cries, fat teardrops rolling down her cheeks. 

J.T. didn’t want this to be the end. It _couldn’t_ be the end. He never got to tell Liberty that she’s the one he needs in his life, everything else futile. 

However, time is not fair. Death is not fair. Neither wait for anyone. 

Everyone tries so hard in life to buy more time, but it’s pointless. Time will always move, no matter what, and if J.T. isn’t meant to be a part of the next hour, the next minute, the next second... then so be it. There was nothing he could do about it. 

He feels faint as the corners of his vision black out, the blood only continuing to flood out of him at an alarming rate. 

He watches as Toby is first to get someone’s attention that something has gone wrong – very, very wrong. 

His hearing fades out as the commotion get louder, now Emma, Manny, and Sean joining Toby in their discovery of his battered body. 

He soon feels _it_ within him, the passage of time that Liberty went on and on about. He’s not too sure if he’ll wake up from this great fatigue he feels, but all he knows is being in Liberty’s arms like this feels right, the beautiful moon shining brightly overhead of them. 

His limp hand reaches out for Liberty, her scattered brain queueing her to grab hold of J.T.’s cold hand, Liberty’s warmth transferring to him. 

As he slips away into an unknown state, he’s sure of one thing and one thing only. 

_I will always love you, Liberty Van Zandt. If only those were my dying words..._

His eyes finally lose the battle to stay open and close, J.T.’s consciousness traveling to someplace nice, someplace utterly beautiful. 

_Let’s meet again._


	25. Chapter 25

Liberty. 

Her voice, her touch, her scent, her beautiful bronzed skin. 

Visions of her surrounded J.T. as he floated between realms of existence, his mind hazy as he tries to figure out just where exactly he stood in said realms. 

He tries desperately to swim back to the realm he had come from, but can’t -- the great force pushing against his soul. 

His battered soul soon gives up the fight, the force just too great to fight against. He knew deep down that his soul would never feel its full potential of peace as long as he is away from his true match. He could never rest knowing their tragic end as friends, lovers. A part of him would always lie tormented at the reality of leaving Liberty to fend this cruel world all alone, the very thought of it bringing great distress to his soul. 

Awaiting her own death is just too long of a wait for J.T. -- he needs her _now._

Despite the great peace surrounding him, he isn’t satisfied, Liberty’s cries of pain still imprinted in his mind. 

“Whoever’s out there... I can’t enjoy all this great place has to offer me without Liberty. I just can’t leave her behind. I’ve already caused her enough pain,” he says, his transparent hand holding his pounding head up. 

Silence follows his plea, the great light illuminating the jewels surrounding him. 

He then sees a tiny boy run up to him, the boy bearing a great smile on his face. The boy says nothing, instead opting to tightly wrap his arms around J.T.’s skinny frame. 

It takes a moment, but J.T. finally comes to understand that it is his son that is embracing him so tightly, so much love emanating from the brief hug. 

J.T. is in utter awe at the beauty of their creation. The boy has Liberty’s beautiful hazel eyes and full lips, with the rest of his face mostly taking after J.T. 

What surprises him most is when the boy gives him one final look before softly pushing him backward, J.T.’s soul floating down from the great beyond. J.T. can only look at the boy as he waves him goodbye, J.T. eagerly reciprocating the gesture. 

As he floats downward, images of him and Liberty encompass him. He whips his head to the side to see a memory of the two slowly swaying in a hammock, the soft summer breeze escaping from the memory to pass by him. The next memory is of their first kiss, the taste of Liberty’s sweet, sweet lips finding solace on his tongue. 

_“I love you, J.T.,” Liberty says, wrapping her arms around his neck._

_“I love you more than words can describe – or at least my words,” J.T. chuckles, pulling Liberty closer to him. Liberty laughs, rolling her eyes at J.T.’s humor._

_But it was true. J.T. would always love her... until the end of time._

J.T. shuts his eyes tightly as he senses he is coming to the end of his journey back to Earth. He couldn’t wait to be back with his person – and most importantly, to tell his person just how much she meant to him.


	26. Chapter 26

J.T. winces as his eyes detect bright, white lights behind his eyelids, the pain of them making him gasp. 

He slowly opens his eyes to find Liberty on her knees, seemingly praying to God. He smiles as he realizes he is indeed alive, somehow, someway. 

He tilts his head to the side as he waits for Liberty to open her beautiful eyes, the light in her eyes reminiscent to what he saw as he was floating away into utter peace. 

When she does open her eyes, she nearly gives herself a heart attack, modestly rejoicing as they make eye contact. 

“You’re awake!” she cries, gingerly throwing her arms around him. “I love you so much, J.T. So, so much.” 

“I love you, too, Liberty – and I’m so glad I got a chance to say that to you, right here, right now,” he says, his voice hoarse. 

She then begins to break down, the horror of last night flooding back to her. “T-They said you were gone, J.T. They said you’d never wake up,” she sobs, her body heaving as she lets out all the pain in her heart. 

J.T. tries his best to comfort her, his arms too sore to raise to hug her. He then plants a sweet kiss on her forehead, his chapped lips saying all the things he couldn’t at that moment. 

Liberty’s sobs only grow louder and deeper, her sobs alerting the rest of the gang that he indeed is awake. 

They all come rushing in, their puffy faces and teary eyes saying it all. 

“I’m so sorry, J.T.!” Manny cries, her sobs competing against Liberty’s as to whose are the loudest. “I nearly got you killed.” 

“Don’t sweat it. I’m here in the flesh, aren’t I?” J.T. quips, giving a shy smile. 

Liberty looks up from J.T.’s hospital gown long enough to exchange a passionate kiss with J.T., the others awkwardly turning around as they share their loving moment with one another. The kiss teleports them to a world of their own, full of love, joy, and happiness, all the things that both were long overdue for. 

Liberty then peppers J.T.’s face with dozens of kisses, the kisses ranging from his neck, his forehead, and his lips. 

She then gently holds his hand, looks deeply in his eyes and smiles, unable to express just how happy she is to have him all to herself – almost. 

“Mia,” J.T. gasps, causing Liberty to immediately let go of his hand. 

“Mia?” Emma and Manny question in unison. 

“Mia,” Toby confirms. 

“I still have to actually break up with her. Is she in town, yet, Tobes?” 

“Already ahead of you, J.T. She’s outside,” Toby says, opening the hospital door to let Mia in. 

Mia gasps, unable to believe the sight she’s seeing. She immediately runs up to his hospital bed and kisses him on the cheek, covering up Liberty’s kiss with her own DNA. 

Liberty excuses herself from the room before she starts seeing red, the rest eventually following suit to allow the two their privacy. 

“Listen, Mia,” J.T. starts, not looking forward to Mia’s reaction. “I’ve had a lot of fun with you, but... I’d be lying if I said I still didn’t have feelings for Liberty.” 

Mia’s face drops, her eyes immediately dropping to her boots. “So, you’re breaking up with me?” 

“I’m sorry... it’s just. I love Liberty, and I never quite stopped. It’s not fair to you to keep pretending I want this to continue when really I want oatmeal, er, Liberty.” 

Mia slowly nods, allowing for J.T.’s painful words to register. “I see...” 

“I’m sorry it took for me nearly dying to tell you that, but it’s true. All of it,” J.T. says, nodding to his own statement. 

Mia clears her throat to keep from crying, slowly backing away from J.T.’s hospital bed. “Well, I, uh... I guess I’ll leave you to heal and stuff. Get better soon,” she says, nearly bursting into tears. 

She then swings open the door and leaves, her face buried in her hands. 

Liberty shortly returns to be back by J.T.’s side, slowly rubbing his arm to relieve him of some of the discomfort he just faced. “I’m sorry to put you on the spot like this, gosh.” 

“No, no. It’s fine. I meant what I said, Liberty. I love you... not anybody else will do,” J.T. purrs, slowly closing the gap between them. 

“Not even Britney Spears? Or Christina Aguilera? Or Elisha Culbert?” 

“No, not even them,” J.T. chuckles, pulling Liberty down so their faces line up. He finally initiates the kiss, it being nice and slow with plenty of love exchanged in it. The kiss then kicks up a few degrees, leading J.T. to stop the exchange of fluids. 

“I think we should wait for the blood to re-circulate back in my system before it rushes other places,” he jokes, sitting up straighter to avoid from getting his little _friend_ too excited. 

Liberty laughs. “Well, there’s always hand holding,” she offers, holding out her hand for J.T. 

J.T. gladly takes her hand in his, motioning for her to climb into the tiny hospital bed with him. He watches as her breathing slows, her tired eyes barely staying open long enough to hold a conversation. Although he intended on telling Liberty about the encounter with their son, he decides against it for the time being, allowing Liberty to rest. J.T. doesn’t mind this, though. 

He’s happy. They’re happy.


	27. Chapter 27

Liberty squeals as J.T. picks her up, the picture being taken in the same moment, capturing their raw reactions. 

“Can you believe it? We graduated! I graduated!” he exclaims, immediately accepting a cookie from Emma’s mom. 

“I can,” Liberty replies, J.T. wrapping his arms around Liberty’s waist. 

“Well, sure you can, miss valedictorian,” he teases, his tassel continuously getting in his eyes. 

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” Liberty says, putting her head on J.T.’s shoulder. 

J.T. then tries to close the enticing gap between them, but is interrupted by Emma, Manny, and Toby, the three enveloping the happy couple in a big group hug. 

“We motherfucking graduated!” Manny shouts, throwing her graduation cap toward her Mother’s direction. 

Unbeknownst to them, a picture is snapped of the proud graduates, genuine happy smiles painting all the young adults’ faces, although none of them are looking in the direction of the camera. 

While the others loudly talk amongst themselves, J.T. and Liberty are in their own little world, J.T.’s hand snaking around Liberty’s waist. J.T. lovingly looks in Liberty’s eyes, slightly groping her rear. This earns J.T. a firm smack on the stomach, with Liberty’s disapproving look soon turning into a smug smirk. J.T. takes the initiative to close the agonizing gap between them, his lips finding their home on hers. 

They don’t know how, but they made it, their love keeping them whole. 

~~~ 

J.T. Yorke. 

Funny, crude, and married to Liberty Van Zandt. 

Liberty Van Zandt. 

Smart, dignified, and married to J.T. Yorke. 

J.T. and Liberty Yorke. 

Very, very weird and very, very in love. 

The two dance as the sun sets, the beautiful sunset the perfect backdrop for a picture of the two of them. They decline the photo op, however, the love they feel in that moment much more important. The world falls silent as J.T. pulls Liberty close to him, her head finding solace in the crook of his shoulder. 

“You know, I love you...” J.T. trails, their bodies swaying to the beat. 

“I know, J.T. I know,” Liberty replies, a stray baby’s breath in her hand. 

To everyone else, they were madly in love. To them, they were soulmates, sharing one past, present, and future. 

It’s perfect. _They’re_ perfect. 

After years of anguish and pain, they finally got their happy ending, a feat that many couples from their old high school could not also attest to. Liberty knew since the day he asked her out to the dance that he’d be the one she’d marry one day. What she didn’t know, however, was just how badly she’d have to fight to see her dreams come true. 

But alas, if asked by an average onlooker, they’d do it all again, because this love, this touch, this kiss, was all worth it. 

When their bodies become one later that night, they slip into their own realm of happiness, the love they feel for one another radiating off of the walls, the floors, and the ceiling. They couldn’t wait to live the rest of their lives together, becoming and staying one for the rest of time. 

_This_ is paradise. 

Fin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anndddd that's all folks. thanks so much for all the love and support. ur feedback makes me so happy <3\. Until the next fic!


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